SPECIAL EDITION: PATA DECLARES MEANINGFUL TOURISM AS THE VISION OF THE ORGANISATION
Meaningful Tourism Weekly Editorial
PATA DECLARES MEANINGFUL TOURISM AS THE VISION OF THE ORGANISATION
Dear reader,
this week your humble editor is very proud to present a Special Edition of the Meaningful Tourism Weekly. We have decided to dedicate this entire publication in this week for the major step forward the Meaningful Tourism paradigm has taken on Tuesday, the 22nd of April 2025.
PATA, the Pacific Asia Travel Association, met in the 74th year of its existence for the PATA Annual Summit. You will find information about PATA in a separate article in this edition.
Following a presentation by your humble editor to the Executive Board in January 2025 and a Meaningful Tourism workshop in Bangkok for PATA employees, the EB decided to use Meaningful Tourism as the key Vision for the new direction the organisation plans to take. After many discussions and editing, the final version of the Vision statement was fixed as “A Meaningful Pacific Asia Tourism Economy”.
The Mission statement names “To share knowledge, enable networking, and protect tourism economy assets by fostering innovation, collaboration and adaptability” as the work PATA wants to provide for its members to achieve the Vision of Meaningful Tourism.
Already in February 2025, during the visit of the CEO of PATA, Mr. Noor Ahmad Hamid, to Nepal, had PATA and MTC signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which defined six fields of cooperation:
- Meaningful Tourism Thought Leadership
- Support in the Development of the PATA Index
- Alignment and Cooperation
- Training, Research, and Consultancy Services
- Reciprocal Activities
- Marketing & Communications
With the approval by the “parliament” of PATA, this MoU will now be filled with concrete actions and forms of cooperation. A list of joint activities for the rest of 2025 is added in this Special Edition.
In the morning of the 22nd of April 2025, Peter Semone, the Chairman of PATA, presented the Vision and Mission statements during the General Meeting.
It was voted upon as part of the resolution No. 1 about the Approval of Actions of the Executive Board. It received a YES vote of 100% without any abstention or opposition. All other resolutions about budget, new board members etc. carried at least a small number of abstentions, so resolution No. 1 was the most successful and most widely accepted.
During the three days of the Summit, the word MEANINGFUL was used by all speakers and in panel discussions extensively. Mr. Deepak Joshi, the CEO of Nepal Tourism Board, pointed while on stage even out, that the “father” of Meaningful Tourism, namely your humble editor, was in the room and that the Headquarter of the MTC is located in Nepal and that also the first ever Meaningful Tourism Transformative Game Workshop was held in Nepal in the GATE Global Academy for Tourism Education.
Dear reader, the second step of the journey of the Meaningful Tourism paradigm towards gaining the position of the most widely used tool to achieve a sustainable tourism development for destinations, organisations and companies has been taken in Istanbul. PATA has proven to be part of the avantgarde of the necessary renewal of tourism and hospitality. In his opening remarks the Chairman of PATA already made it very clear that we have to come back to the position to be seen as part of the solution and not part of the problem. He emphasized the need for a new Vision and Mission, as the world is changing. Similar to what your humble editor has been saying on many occasions, he pointed out the changes in the demand, climate change and new technologies make it impossible to continue to organise tourism the way it has been before the pandemic.
During a dialogue between the CEOs of PATA and of the ETC European Travel Commission, Mr. Eduardo Santander, a good friend of MTC, it was stated that the ETC position is very similar and that additionally the current geopolitical situation makes a closer cooperation between ETC and PATA, between Europe and Asia, necessary. The two CEO joked about a “marriage” of the two organisations, when the presented the signed MoU of cooperation.
Your humble editor has been a member in different forms and responsibilities of PATA for almost 20 years. However, never before has there been such a close cooperation and like-mindedness as on this historic day. As Paul Moxness, the Meaningful Tourism trainer for Canada, commented: A paradigm shift is coming.
During the WTCF World Tourism Cities Federation Summit in Hong Kong a week earlier, Istvan Ujhelyi, Ambassador of the UN Tourism organisation to the EU, had pointed out the necessity to have a joint organisation bringing together UN Tourism, WTTC, ETC, ETOA, WTA, PATA and a few more relevant organisations to create a powerful voice for the tourism and hospitality industry. PATA with the new Vision and Mission can be seen as the most advanced in the new way of shaping the industry among these organisations. Istvan, another strong supporter of MTC, confirmed in Hong Kong his commitment to support Meaningful Tourism.
Among the excitement about this small step for mankind, but giant leap for MTC (to paraphrase Neil Armstrong), it should not be forgotten that before the PATA Annual Summit another fair and conference took place in Istanbul, the Colors of the World exhibition, which included a conference under the title Meaningful Event Tourism: Destinations providing events as Transformational Experiences. From the 18th to the 20th of April your humble editor had the honour to chair this conference, which also includes several certified and soon-to-be certified Meaningful Tourism trainer among the speakers and panelists from 22 different countries.
Next week we will deliver again a normal Meaningful Tourism Weekly included Guest Article, News, Trainer portraits and the other content covered in a regular edition.
As always, all best wishes from Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt and the Meaningful Tourism Weekly team!
Editor: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt
Who and What is PATA?
Many of our readers will know the PATA Pacific Asia Travel Association or will even be a member. For all others, please find below some background information.
As has become the normal thing to do, lets start by asking AskGPT “What is PATA?”
After clarifying that we do not speak about the old Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment, and not about Provincially Administered Tribal Areas in Pakistan, the Playgroup and Toddler Association (UK) or the Pacific Association of Tax Administration, here is what you get:
PATA stands for the Pacific Asia Travel Association. It is a non-profit travel trade association that was founded in 1951. PATA is dedicated to the development, promotion, and facilitation of travel and tourism to, from, and within the Asia Pacific region. Here are some key details about PATA:
Objectives and Goals
Promotion of Tourism: PATA aims to enhance the sustainable growth, value, and quality of travel and tourism to, from, and within the region.
Industry Support: It provides valuable resources to its members, including insights into market trends, industry statistics, and networking opportunities.
Advocacy: PATA advocates for tourism policies that promote sustainable and responsible travel practices.
Membership and Network
Diverse Membership: PATA's membership includes government tourism bodies, airlines, hotels, tour operators, and travel agencies, among other stakeholders.
Global Reach: The association connects public and private sector members globally, facilitating collaboration and partnerships.
Services and Activities
Research and Insights: PATA offers detailed research reports and data analytics about travel trends in the Asia Pacific region.
Events and Conferences: The association organizes various events, forums, and workshops to foster networking and professional development.
Training and Education: PATA provides training programs and educational resources to enhance skills and knowledge within the travel industry.
Sustainability Initiatives: PATA is committed to promoting sustainable tourism practices through various initiatives and partnerships.
Examples of Impact
Market Intelligence: By offering market intelligence reports, PATA helps its members make informed business decisions.
Networking Opportunities: Through events like the PATA Annual Summit, members can connect and collaborate, leading to potential business partnerships.
Advocacy Success: PATA has played a role in shaping tourism policies that benefit the environment and local communities, ensuring tourism development is both responsible and sustainable.
Conclusion
PATA serves as a vital platform for tourism stakeholders in the Asia Pacific region, aiming to foster growth and sustainability in the industry. Through its diverse activities and resources, PATA supports its members in navigating the dynamic landscape of global tourism.
Not bad, but as usual leaving out important information, including the following:
PATA was established in 1951 in Hawaii. In 1953 its headquarters were moved from Hawaii to San Francisco. PATA first conference was held on January 1952 in Honolulu and its first Asian office was established in Manila, the Philippines in 1976. In the beginning, it was mostly a club of white male US-American tour operators bringing American tourists to Southeast Asia, making use of the many airfields build in the second world war and the abundance of former air force pilots and of new airlines like Cathay Pacific started by some of them. PATA, which will mark its 75th anniversary in 2026, moved the HQ in 1998 from San Francisco to Bangkok, where it still is today.
The previous goal of the organisation was simply to “develop, promote and facilitate travel to different places across Pacific area and South East Asian regions”.
In fact, PATA has been going through some ups and downs especially during the pandemic and is currently on the path to achieve the importance, relevance and visibility it’s should have as the organisation representing the most important tourism region in the world, home of more than half the global population.
Last year, under the leadership of the Chairman Peter Semone and the CEO Ahmed Noor, a new set of products was defined to highlight the added value which members can receive in five key areas:
PATA has 32 country chapters, which include as members smaller companies without voting rights at the General Assembly. Bigger companies and organisations with an international outlook (like the Meaningful Tourism Centre) are direct members of PATA without any affiliation to a country chapter. This form of organisation has been criticised as being somewhat old-fashioned and might be replaced in the future with an unified membership at different levels without “fiefdoms” not always following the policies and decisions of the headquarter.
The most important members, which are also paying the bulk of the membership fees, are governments and official tourism organisations:
There are some obvious candidates missing, including the USA, Canada and Mexico on the Pacific side and Japan on the Asia side.
One level below you can find rather unexpectedly out-of-region members, including Berlin and Kenya. From North America, Vancouver and Hawaii are regional members.
More information is also available on the website https://www.pata.org/
Joint Activities PATA – MTC 2025
The official embracement of Meaningful Tourism by the PATA Pacific Asia Travel Association happened only yesterday, therefore many activities for 2025 have been discussed but still need final approval and fixed dates.
Nevertheless, please find below a list of activities planned for the coming months:
Second week of May
Webinar celebrating and explaining the new Vision and Mission statement and the practical gains and consequences for the tourism and hospitality industry, organised jointly by MTC, PATA and the Institute of Tourism
May 15-17
Meaningful Tourism conference during the GITF Guangzhou International Travel Fair in Guangzhou, China, and Meaningful Tourism Workshop, organised by MTC with keynote speaker from PATA
August 26-28
PATA Travel Mart 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand, with Meaningful Tourism Transformative Game Workshop and other activities related to Meaningful Tourism including the Meaningful Tourism Award by MTC
Ongoing
Meaningful Tourism Transformative Game Workshops organised for PATA members and PATA Country Chapters by MTC and regional MTC-certified trainers.
The Meaningful Tourism Weekly will keep you updated on all activities after they have been finally agreed and given a date.
Meaningful Tourism Weekly is published every Thursday by the MTC Meaningful Tourism Centre (London and Kathmandu).
Each Meaningful Tourism Weekly includes the Meaningful Tourism Weekly Editorial, news about MTC activities, a Best Practice example, a portrait of a MTC-certified trainer, news about upcoming events and occasionally additional op-ed pieces provided by guest authors.
Furthermore, carefully selected news items including videos and podcasts with a link to the original source are added, sorted according to the six main stakeholders of tourism and hospitality, as defined by the Meaningful Tourism paradigm: Traveller/Guests, Host community, employees in tourism and hospitality service providers, service providing companies, governments and the environment.
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