Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)

#PATA Chair Peter Semone spoke at the Sri Lanka Human Capital Summit 2024 alongside the President and Prime Minister of Sri Lanka last week, discussing the way to build a strong talent pool for the Sri Lankan #tourism sector. 👥 At the event, Peter shared effective talent retention strategies, insights into the global perspective on human capital development, and discussed unlocking Sri Lanka's economic potential by cultivating a future-ready global talent pool. ✨ John Keells Leisure's Senior VP Global Alliances and Partnerships and John Keells Holdings PLC's Head of Corporate Affairs Dileep Mudadeniya, along with #PATALifeMember Hiran Cooray, Chairman of Jetwing Symphony PLC (Jetwing Hotels), also joined as panellists in the same session! #HumanCapitalDevelopment

#Azebaijan allows 3 visa-free travels a year for Chinese citizens; #Indonesia #Bali to scrap its Visa on Arrival for Aussies; #Japan to ease entry for tourists with pre-clearance; and more #TravelUpdates from within and beyond the #AsiaPacific! 🔹 New rules for dogs travelling across #Canada-#US border begin Aug 1. 🔹 #Philippines to go visa-free for foreign cruise tourists. 🔹 #HongKong SAR-#Macao QRCode immigration clearance starts. 🔹 #UAE imposes 344% higher non-refundable visa application fee for Nigerians following ban lift. 🔸 More than 1,500 US flights cancelled across three days as airlines slowly recover from global tech outage. 🔸 #Mongolia welcomes over 245,000 tourists in 1H 2024. 🔸 #Singapore named the safest destination in the world for travellers. 🔸 #Vietnam’s tourism sector to hit record đ770.8T contribution in 2024. 🔸 #SaudiArabia’s AlUla becomes first Middle East destination to receive US accreditation. 🔸 #ChineseTaipei Taoyuan International Airport sees record number of passengers, expecting 8M over the summer. 🔸 #SriLanka YTD arrivals nearly 1.1M. 🔸 #Malaysia tourist arrivals surge by 2 million to 9.48 million as of May. Find full updates on 48 destinations within Asia Pacific and beyond: https://lnkd.in/gSwYmTGS Receive weekly Asia Pacific travel updates: https://bit.ly/3SJ5Rsd #PATA

1 out of 3 people worldwide lack access to the internet, despite it being considered a necessity in the modern world [Internet Society Foundation, 2024]. 🛜 Moreover,  access to digital skills and training continues to be inequitable in certain communities. To address ways to bridge this gap, Airbnb’s Head of Public Policy, India & South Asia, Asmita Joshi, led a discussion with experts from various organisations, sharing success stories of establishing sustainable capacity-building programmes in communities in Nepal, the Philippines and India through building access to internet and digital skills. Joyce Dogniez, Internet Society Foundation’s Vice President of Empowerment and Outreach, highlighted that finding channels to connect with communities for organising training and offer solutions that address locals’ fears of the internet, including navigating the web safely is key to effectively introducing internet access. 💻 While that is the first step, introducing the right tools and skills to ensure effective use is equally important. One of Airbnb Entrepreneurship Academy initiatives in collaboration with SPARK Philippines, held in Quezon City, exemplifies collaboration between the public and private sectors to provide locals, particularly women, with digital literacy and hospitality management skills. According to Mikaela Luisa Teves, Executive Director, SPARK Philippines, this significantly enhances their economic independence and allows them to build their own entrepreneurial networks. Beyond building access and skills, organisations can help communities turn unique cultural aspects into strengths through adding value and cultural nuances. Simar Preet Kaur, Lead of Community Tourism at Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE), remarked that by enhancing the presentation of local elements such as cuisine, organisations can boost locals’ confidence in their cultural heritage and enable communities to sustainably innovate and showcase their uniqueness. Want to hear more from these experts? 🔊 PATA Members, watch the webinar recording on the PATA Info Hub or send us a message to request access on YouTube. #PATAWebinar #Airbnb #Upskilling #Digitalliteracy

The Asia Pacific welcomed 117.77M international visitor arrivals (IVAs) in the first quarter of 2024, with Türkiye ranked as number one with a recovery rate of 129.4% followed by the Maldives at 125.1%. On the other hand, China led Asia Pacific source markets in Q1 2024 with 22.52M visitors, up 157.4% from 2023—nearly double that of the US in second place. Korea (ROK) and Mexico, which also secured places in the top source markets list, saw impressive IVA growth of 41.9% and 32.9%. 📊 Download PATA’s Quarterly Tourism Monitor 1Q2024 to learn more about major destinations’ visitor arrivals data: https://lnkd.in/gvQae7Bx 🩵 PATA Members, don’t forget to claim a copy at a member-exclusive rate or complimentary as part of your benefits! #PATAResearch #QTM2024

PATA Unveils Gold Awards Champions! Congratulations to all 20 winners for their exceptional achievements. 🏆 Your capabilities and efforts set a benchmark for others, paving the way for a more responsible and vibrant travel and tourism landscape in the Asia Pacific! 🏅 Grand Award Winner- Sustainability & Social Responsibility: Intrepid Travel DMC 🏅 Grand Award Winner- Marketing: Hong Kong Tourism Board Sustainability & Social Responsibility Award Winners: 🔹 Tourism Destination Resilience - APAC: Korea Tourism Organization 🔹 Climate Change Initiative: Jetwing Hotels. Ltd. 🔹 CSR: Sivatel Bangkok Hotel 🔹 CBT: Nepal Tourism Board - NTB 🔹 Culture: Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA) & Tourism Authority of Thailand 🔹 Heritage: Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration 🔹 Human Capital Development: Macao Government Tourism Office 🔹 Tourism for All: Gangneung City 🔹 Women Empowerment: Destination Asia 🔹 Youth Empowerment: Galaxy Entertainment Group Marketing Award Winners 🔹 Marketing Campaign- National, Asia: Hong Kong Tourism Board 🔹 Marketing Campaign- National, Pacific: Tahiti Tourisme 🔹 Marketing- State, City- Global: Jeju Tourism Organization 🔹 Carrier: SriLankan Airlines Official 🔹 Hospitality: Melco Resorts & Entertainment 🔹 Digital Marketing Campaign: Kerala Tourism 🔹 Printed Marketing Campaign: Hong Kong Tourism Board 🔹 Travel Video: Tourism Malaysia 🔹 Travel Photograph: Tourism Authority of Thailand 🔹 Destination Article: Anabel Dean 🔹 Business Article: TTG Asia Media Pte Ltd Shout-out to the Macao Government Tourism Office for 29 years of support as the host of the PATA Gold Awards, and to 23 independent judges who have carefully hand picked the winning entries among over 100 submissions! Winners will be attending the #PTM2024 for one whole day. Delegates, take this chance to meet and connect with the brightest minds in the tourism industry! Read the press release: https://lnkd.in/g6stEf7h Learn more about the winning entries: https://lnkd.in/g3vjDpWX #PATAEvent #PATAGoldAwards #TourismInnovation #Marketing #Sustainability

#China expands visa-free access to more provinces and tourists hotspots; #Myanmar officially lifts all COVID-19 travel restrictions; and more #TravelUpdates from within and beyond the #AsiaPacific. 🔹 #Thailand's 60-day visa-free entry to 93 countries and territories now effective. 🔹 #Azerbaijan to launch an electronic, free-of-charge “COP29 Special Visa”. 🔸 #Mexico registered a historic increase of 7.7% in the receipt of tourist currency. 🔸 #US projecting 91 million visitors per year by 2026. 🔸 #Cambodia sees 36% spike in foreigners flocking to Angkor in 6 months. 🔸 #Indonesia’s tourism sector to exceed 12.5M jobs in 2024. 🔸 #SaudiArabia records 17% rise in passenger air travel in H1 2024. 🔸 #BosniaHerzegovina's #Sarajevo Airport is among the three fastest-growing in the region during the summer season. Find full updates on 48 destinations within Asia Pacific and beyond: https://lnkd.in/gSwYmTGS Receive weekly Asia Pacific travel updates: https://bit.ly/3SJ5Rsd #PATA #AsiaPacific #TravelUpdates

Among 6 destination regions/sub-regions, South Asia is forecast to have the strongest recovery rates to 2026 under the mild scenario at 160.0% by 2026. This is followed by West Asia, Southeast Asia, Pacific, Americas, and Northeast Asia, respectively. The PATA Asia Pacific Visitor Forecasts 2024-2026: Mid-year Report confirms robust annual growth in international visitor arrivals into and across Asia Pacific. 📚 Download your copy today for the latest data, insights, and trends in Asia Pacific tourism! The report includes: 🔹 Forecasts on international visitor numbers across destination regions, sub-regions, and specific destinations in the upcoming years. 🔹 Insights into shifting opportunities in the post-pandemic era. 🔹 Forecasts and growth patterns for 39 individual Asia Pacific destinations. 🔹 Inspirations for developing growth strategies over the next three years. Get your copy here: https://lnkd.in/gddmKw_6 🩵 PATA Members, check to see if you have complimentary access to the report via the link above or the PATA Info Hub! #PATAResearch #PATAMembers

Live in 1 week 🔴 Join Upcoming Webinar on “Unlocking Economic Opportunity Through Community Intervention and Digital Skilling”! Gain insights from experienced industry experts on effective tourism capacity development methods and match your pace to the ever-evolving field of #digitaltourism! Wednesday, July 17, 2024, 4 PM Singapore! Register now: https://lnkd.in/gQ6Jjk3Q Speakers: 🔹 Asmita Joshi, Head of Public Policy, India & South Asia, Airbnb 🔹 Mikaela Luisa Teves, Executive Director, SPARK Philippines 🔹 Joyce Dogniez, Vice President, Empowerment and Outreach, Internet Society Foundation 🔹 Simar Preet Kaur, Lead-Community Tourism, Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE) #PATAWebinar #DigitalLiteracy #HCD #CapacityBuilding

#Azerbaijan to launch one-year visa-free policy for Chinese citizens; #LaoPDR relaxes visa requirements for China, European countries; and more #TravelUpdates from within and beyond the #AsiaPacific. 🔹 #Philippines to start issuing Digital Nomad visas without tax incentives. 🔹 #SaudiArabia introduces multiple entry visa for Indian travellers, eases requirements for Pakistanis. 🔸 #China logs 14.64 million inbound trips by foreigners, total 287 million border crossings in H1. 🔸 #Korea (ROK) carriers hit record 47M passengers in early 2024. 🔸 #Macao, China welcomed more than 1 million international tourists in H1 2024. 🔸 #Singapore announces temporary closure of main Merlion Park for cleaning and maintenance until Aug 2. 🔸 #Thailand to end duty-free on-arrival shopping at 8 major airports. 🔸 #Turkiye Istanbul Airport crowned Europe’s best in ACI Awards. 🔸 #Fiji recorded 4M visitors in FY 23-24. Find full updates on 48 destinations within Asia Pacific and beyond: https://lnkd.in/gSwYmTGS Receive weekly Asia Pacific travel updates: https://bit.ly/3SJ5Rsd #PATA #AsiaPacific #TravelUpdates

Looking for great models and practical insights to help your tourism business reduce plastic waste? Join PATA CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid in this UNESCO Bangkok-DASTA seminar on Jul 17, 1:30 PM (GMT 7)! 🙌 You will hear success stories from industry leaders who have effectively minimized plastic usage and enhanced their brand value. Register now: https://lnkd.in/gEViRGw5