PATA Annual Summit to define and advance the ‘Complete Visitor Economy'

BANGKOK - Leaders of the Complete Visitor Economy will gather for the 2013 PATA Annual Summit (2013PAS) in Bangkok April 25-28, 2013. Confirmed speakers include Taleb Rifai, Secretary General, UNWTO; David Scowsill, President, WTTC; Gloria Guevara, Former Secretary of Tourism, Mexico; Lothar Pehl, Senior VP Operations and Global Initiatives, Starwood Hotels and Resorts; Abid Butt, CEO, Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts; and Anita Mendiratta, Managing Director, Cachet Consulting & Head Consultant of The CNN TASK Group.

The Summit will address the theme, "Embracing the Complete Visitor Economy.” There will be four key sessions:

• Why the Visitor Economy is key for jobs and societal development

• Ministerial views on investing in the Complete Visitor Economy

• Connecting the Complete Visitor Economy across functions   and 

          cultures

• Strengthening weak links in the Visitor Economy

There will be four interactive sessions:

• Corporate Social Responsibility

• Balancing Security and Facilitation

• Human Capital Development

• Medical Tourism Integration into the Complete Visitor Economy

Mr Martin J Craigs, PATA CEO said: “Our agenda is to make sure that travel and tourism in its entirety, that is, the complete visitor economy, gets its fair share of investment and is included at the highest levels of government decision and policy making.”

The high-powered summit will feature some of our industry's most acclaimed thought leaders. Speakers will share their vision on how the global travel industry can join together and create recognition for all aspects of the highly interdependent travel, tourism and trade sectors.

PATA believes that the complete visitor economy's benign direct and indirect impacts need to be acknowledged and given credit. That political objective unites the Global Travel Coalition, of which PATA is a founding member.

The PATA Annual Summit is expected to bring together many leaders from the hospitality, tour operator, carrier and government sectors, along with senior media representatives, including networks such as CNN, the Travel Channel and leading international broadsheet newspapers as well as top travel trade journalists.

The summit and the other supporting PATA events of that weekend will take place at the Centara Grand and Bangkok Convention Centre in Bangkok. The PATA Youth Forum will take place on April 25 at Thammasat University, Sri Burapa Auditorium. The forum will build on the recent PATA student forums held during the PATA Annual Conference at Taylor's University in Kuala Lumpur in 2011 and Lyceum of the Philippines University, Manila in 2012.

Sourced: TravelDailyNews