The Hybrid PATA Adventure Travel Conference and Mart 2021 was launched on Wednesday, May 26, 2021, thru both on-ground, in Clark, Philippines, and online formats. The two-day niche event attracted 582 delegates from 53 destinations in attendance including international delegates comprising 56% of the total. With both travel mart and conference elements, the B2B trade mart welcomed 67 seller organisations from 13 destinations and 65 buyer organisations from 28 source markets.
The event, which was organised by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in partnership with Platinum Sponsor, the Philippine Department of Tourism, brought together international experts at the forefront of the adventure travel industry to explore the nuances, trends and dynamics of one of the fastest-growing tourism sectors.
Over the two days, delegates heard from a diverse line-up of speakers under the theme ‘Re-Generation for the Adventure Industry’. The innovators and pioneers, who are shaping the emerging landscape of the adventure travel industry, examined various topics that covered ‘The Re-Generation Opportunity”, “Delivering what the next generation of adventure travellers want”, “Can local cuisine drive travel recovery?”, “Ensuring a more equal recovery”, “The future of online experiences”, “Putting our communities first”, and “Resiliency is the new sustainability”.
The conference was opened by Soon Hwa Wong, Chair of PATA, and Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat of the Philippines Department of Tourism.
“In a span of a few months, the pandemic radically transformed the operating landscape of the global MICE industry. Despite the challenges, we are thankful for the opportunity to partner with PATA in organizing this travel mart and conference in a hybrid format as we continue to pursue a safe reopening of the Philippines’ tourism destinations. We acknowledge the commitment and continual support of PATA for the industry’s fast and effective recovery through the various technical assistance, information sharing and capacity development activities they have rolled out,” commented the Minister.
