Posts Tagged :

liz ortiguera

EU Travel and Tourism Sector Recovering Strongly Says WTTC

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EU Travel and Tourism Sector Recovering Strongly Says WTTC - TRAVELINDEXBrussels, Belgium, July 7, 2023 / TRAVELINDEX / The World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) 2023 Economic Impact Research (EIR) today reveals the EU Travel & Tourism sector is forecast to reach 98% of the 2019 peak. The sector is set to contribute €1.44BN to the EU economy in 2023 and 2MN more Travel and Tourism jobs across the EU last year.

The sector is set to contribute €1.44BN to the economy this year, edging close to the 2019 pre-pandemic high of €1.47BN.

WTTC is also forecasting that the sector will create more than 687K jobs this year, recovering almost 90% of the jobs lost due to the COVID 19 pandemic to reach more than 22.4MN, with one in nine workers across the EU, in the Travel & Tourism sector.

A look back on last year

Last year, the Travel & Tourism sector’s GDP contribution grew by 40.5% to reach more than €1.37BN, representing 8.7% of the Bloc’s economy, edging closer to the 2019 high of 9.6% of the economy.

Last year the sector also created 2MN more jobs from the previous year to reach 21.8MN jobs – one in ten across the EU.

According to the global tourism body’s annual research, the sector has now recovered 3.1MN of the 3.6MN jobs lost during the pandemic.

Last year also saw the return of international travellers heading to the EU with spending from overseas visitors growing 81% year on year, to reach almost €385BN.

Domestic visitor spend fully recovered in 2022, exceeding the pre-pandemic high of €809BN, to reach €814BN.

Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: “The Travel & Tourism sector in the EU is recovering strongly with high visitor demand. The number of jobs created by Travel & Tourism stands at 21.8MN, but by the end of this year it will reach nearly 22.5MN jobs, just 2% behind 2019 numbers.

“Travel & Tourism is a key economic growth sector and driver of jobs in the EU due to the importance of the sector in so many countries such as Germany, Italy, Spain, and France. Our most recent Cities Economic Impact Report revealed that Paris remains the world’s most popular tourist destination.”

What does the next decade look like?

The global tourism body is forecasting that the sector will grow its GDP contribution to almost €1.9BN by 2033, more than 10% of the EU economy and will employ over 26.3MN people across the region, with one in eight EU residents working in the sector.

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First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

PATA Publishes Food and Plastic Waste Reduction Standards for Tourism

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PATA Publishes Food and Plastic Waste Reduction Standards for Tourism - TRAVELINDEXBangkok, Thailand, August 2, 2022 / TRAVELINDEX / The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is proud to publish the Food and Plastic Waste Reduction Standard for Tourism Businesses as part of its commitment to the European Union (EU)-funded TourLink project, under the EU SWITCH-ASIA Programme.

TourLink aims to drive Thai tour operators and suppliers, from hotels to transport companies and activity providers, towards sustainability. Under the project, PATA collaborates with members of the Thai-EU tourism supply chain to develop a series of capacity-building initiatives that promote best practices for sustainable tourism growth. PATA takes on a crucial role in developing new standards, toolkits and trainings that empower Thai tourism professionals to embrace sustainability in their operations as the industry recovers from COVID-19.

As PATA CEO Liz Ortiguera says, “PATA is focused on supporting the industry recovery with tangible in-market projects that can demonstrate practical, responsible and sustainable solutions. Our goal is to develop and share business models that combine sustainability with profitability. Creating strong sustainability development plans brings businesses a competitive advantage in addressing a growing consumer interest and global need.”

A key component of TourLink involves achieving common standards for sustainability in the industry to transform Thailand into a leading sustainable tourism destination. According to TourLink Project Manager, Peter Richards, “Strengthening tourism and hospitality businesses’ sustainability will help the sector become more resilient in the face of future crises, save critical resources and boost overall morale as we prepare for a greener tourism reopening.”

Following the success of PATA’s BUFFET Toolkit and Plastic Free Toolkit for Tour Operators (which are also available in Thai), PATA recently published the Food and Plastic Waste Reduction Standard for Tourism Businesses. The standards act as a guide for all tourism businesses, professionals and communities to reduce food waste and plastic waste in their operations. According to Peter Richards, “The standards were developed through thorough research on food and plastic waste reduction strategies in tourism along with consultations with experts and partner organisations”.

As Fernanda Rodak, PATA Project Coordinator of Sustainability and Social Responsibility and lead author, adds, “The standards can be applied as a checklist, a step-by-step guide as well as a training tool for waste prevention in the tourism and hospitality sector”. Underpinned by the circular economy framework and the hierarchy of waste reduction strategies, the document encompasses best practices across the industry on sustainability management and tools and resources for practitioners to advance their food and plastic waste reduction efforts.

About PATA
Founded in 1951, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a not-for-profit membership association that acts as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its member organisations, which including government, state and city tourism bodies; international airlines and airports; hospitality organisations, and educational institutions, as well as thousands of young tourism professional (YTP) members across the world. The PATA network also embraces the grassroots activism the PATA Chapters and Student Chapters, who organise numerous travel industry training programmes and business development events across the world. Thousands of travel professionals belong to the 32 local PATA Chapters worldwide, while hundreds of students are members of the 28 PATA Student Chapters globally. The PATAmPOWER platform delivers unrivalled data, forecasts and insights from the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre to members’ desktops and mobile devices anywhere in the world. PATA’s Head Office has been in Bangkok since 1998. The Association also has official offices or representation in Beijing and London.

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

PATA and Vynn Capital Share How Technology Can Enable Travel Recovery

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PATA and Vynn Capital Share How Technology Can Enable Travel Recovery - TRAVELINDEXKuala Lumpur, Malaysia, February 1, 2022 / TRAVELINDEX / The travel and tourism industry can accelerate travel recovery and become more resilient by adopting technology solutions according to a new report released today by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and Vynn Capital, a Southeast Asia based venture capital firm.

The report, The Hard Reboot: Technology Powers Mobility, offers insightful analysis on the effects of health crises on the travel and tourism industry, and the potential to enable and strengthen the industry with technological transformation, providing actionable information for governments and companies on how to accelerate digital information of the industry.

“To expedite the recovery of the global travel and tourism industry, there is an urgent need to adopt new strategies and solutions to ensure the health and safety of travellers, said PATA CEO Liz Ortiguera. “At the local, regional, and global levels, travel organisations recognise the importance of integrating technology to access robust, transparent, and actionable data for better coordination. Also, as destinations reopen and international travel resumes, a host of new questions are emerging about how to build sustainability within the travel and tourism industry while minimising risks.”

The novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, has altered our daily life significantly by having an impact on social interactions, work dynamics, and digital use. The travel and tourism industry has not been immune to the effects of the pandemic. Indeed, curfews and travel restrictions to contain the spread of the virus were introduced in many countries, which led to a large-scale decline in travel across the world from early 2020 onwards. The global travel & tourism industry’s contribution to GDP plunged by US$4.5 trillion year-over-year in 2020, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). Many businesses were forced to close due to inactivity under imposed anti-pandemic measures, while other businesses that remained opened only recorded limited activity.

The crisis has crystalized the importance of digital transformation of the travel and tourism industry. Companies across all sectors, including airlines, hotels, tours and activities, and ground transportation, have committed to the adoption of digital tools to enhance health and safety protocols and increase the sustainability of their operations. Digital adoption is no longer an additional feature but an essential component of travel.

In this report, PATA and Vynn Capital explore past pandemics’ impacts, examine potential losses of future pandemics due to the lack of a coordinated technological approach, and, most importantly, highlight noteworthy technology solutions for travel recovery, propose the framework of seamless travel journey enabled by technology, and provide adjusted Travel Tourism Index (TTCI) as a benchmark for the creation of competitive travel environment to enable mobility.

Victor Chua, Founding and Managing Partner of Vynn Capital, stated, “The travel and tourism industry has been tremendously impacted by COVID-19 pandemic. Only over a few days, international travel halted in 2020 and remained below pre-pandemic levels 18 months later. However, we have witnessed businesses and travel destinations coming together to find technology solutions to accelerate the recovery of travel and build resilience. As a result, decisions related to digital transformation are not only relevant now but also more urgent. As we reflect on the recent developments in the travel and tourism industry, we recognize the importance of the acceleration of technological transformations in the travel and tourism industry along with government support for the creation of a competitive technology-enabled environment to ensure sustainable recovery of travel.”

About PATA
Founded in 1951, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a not-for-profit membership association that acts as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its more than 650 member organisations, including 82 government, state and city tourism bodies, 14 international airlines and airports, 71 hospitality organisations and 75 educational institutions, as well as thousands of young tourism professional (YTP) members across the world. The PATA network also embraces the grassroots activism the PATA Chapters and Student Chapters, who organise numerous travel industry training programmes and business development events across the world. Thousands of travel professionals belong to the 32 local PATA Chapters worldwide, while hundreds of students are members of the 28 PATA Student Chapters globally. The PATAmPOWER platform delivers unrivalled data, forecasts and insights from the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre to members’ desktops and mobile devices anywhere in the world. PATA’s Head Office has been in Bangkok since 1998. The Association also has official offices or representation in Beijing and London.

About Vynn Capital
Vynn Capital is an early stage venture capital firm founded with the objective of bridging the gap between traditional industries and the new economies through the development of technology. Key industries of focus include Travel Mobility, Supply Chain and adjacent sectors. The team is made up of professionals with experience across early-stage investment to late stage financing, with experience in business operations. The investment philosophy revolves around the creation of synergistic value between partners and companies supported by Vynn. Beyond investing, Vynn Capital assists its investors or Limited Partners in understanding new industries and markets with its localized team and network across the major cities of Southeast Asia. Vynn Capital is currently active in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Myanmar.

First published at TravelCommunication.net

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

Virtual PATA Travel Mart 2021 Welcomed over 500 delegates

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Virtual PATA Travel Mart 2021 Welcomed over 500 delegates - TRAVELINDEXLeshan, Sichuan, China, September 11, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / Virtual PATA Travel Mart 2021 (Virtual PTM 2021), organised in conjunction with the Sichuan International Travel Expo (SITE) with the support of the Leshan Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau and powered by official virtual partner Dragon Trail International, attracted 573 delegates from 69 global destinations. The delegate numbers embraced 242 sellers from 226 organisations and 30 destinations, along with 163 buyers from 156 organisations and 39 source markets.

“While border restrictions have been more conservative in Asia-Pacific than other regions, the latent growth for the future is still here. The foundation is being built for a safer, more resilient, responsible and sustainable global travel and tourism industry. Virtual PATA Travel Mart 2021 is just a small example of how we can support each other in these times of crisis,” said Liz Ortiguera, CEO of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA). “I would like to thank all of you who joined us for this event as we continue to support a strengthened, more evolved travel and tourism industry in the Asia Pacific region and beyond.

Virtual PTM 2021 officially opened on Thursday, September 2 and ran until Sunday, September 5. The event offered two full business days of business appointments across all time zones on September 2-3, as well as two trade visitor days on September 4-5.

In addition to the business-to-business travel contracting, the event included various forums, including Destination Recovery Insights from Azerbaijan; Guam; Kiribati; Macao, China; Nepal; Sabah, Sarawak, and Thailand. Delegates also were able to join several insight sessions from various stakeholders from across all segments of the industry.

On Friday, September 3, Virtual PTM delegates had the opportunity to join a special live stream of the opening ceremony of the Sichuan International Travel Expo (SITE). Furthermore, various games and giveaways allowed delegates a chance to win travel giveaways and prizes from sponsors and partners.

Buyers, sellers, visitors and media can still access the Virtual PTM 2021 platform until October 5, 2021 to message participants and view all previous forums and sessions on demand.

First published at TravelCommunication.net

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

PATA CEO Liz Ortiguera Shares 8-Point Plan to Support Travel Recovery

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PATA CEO Liz Ortiguera Shares 8-Point Plan to Support Travel Recovery

Bangkok, Thailand, August 27, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / PATA CEO, Liz Ortiguera, shared an email to our network of valued PATA International Members on Aug 19, 2021 with details about her top priorities. Her message has been reposted below:

I am writing this approximately two and a half months into my tenure as CEO, with the world about 20 months into the COVID-19 pandemic and the travel sector in a long-awaited, slow-starting recovery. Daily cases are still escalating in parts of Asia-Pacific, and I hope you and your family are staying safe and taking all necessary precautions.

Since starting, I’ve had great opportunities to meet (albeit virtually) with various stakeholders within our association and the broader sector. Most importantly, I’ve had the chance to listen to the status of various destinations and members, monitor the ever-changing policies to mitigate risk, and identify opportunities for PATA to best support our members during this crisis.  We’re aware of both the urgent and strategic needs of our valued members and the industry.  Like many of you, I’ve felt the pandemic’s impact both personally and professionally. I initially had my livelihood directly impacted and have been separated from seeing close family members for over 18 months.  Since joining PATA, I have been inspired by the diversity and strength of the network, see great potential and am confident we can drive progress together in this recovery.

With this in mind, I’m sharing now PATA’s 8-Point Industry Recovery Plan to support both immediate and strategic needs.

1 – PATA Crisis Resource Center :

Launched in May 2020, this resource centre is available to all travel sector members and provides recovery playbooks for all travel industries (aviation to hospitality) with toolkits covering communications, marketing, health, policy and case studies.

2 – Government Members’ Only Roundtable:

Earlier this month, PATA launched a roundtable series to share insights and exchange ideas across destinations on restarting travel. The first session of this series featured presentations by select destinations, including Hawaii, Maldives, and Thailand.  The second session just held on Aug 17 featured COVAX/UNICEF with a briefing on vaccine equity, deployment measures and community acceptance strategies.  In the coming weeks and months, we will continue to support our destination members by sourcing subject matter experts and supporting a pan-regional and global dialogue to support the industry recovery.

3 – Innovation Workshop Series and Innovation Hub for Members:

We’ve just launched an Innovation Series of workshop-style webinars designed to deliver practical information to members.  Upcoming topics will range from digital marketing, COVID-19 Safe best practices, leadership and resiliency skills, destination development, etc.  You hopefully saw our member survey for ideas on topics and we would continue to welcome your ideas for future sessions.  We’d like to hear suggested topics that would best support your recovery.

On our website, please also check out our new Travel Innovations Hub – crowd-sourced travel innovation ideas from around the globe. This site is meant to engage and inspire our members. Please send us any interesting innovations you’ve launched yourself, experienced or simply read about to add to this collection.

4 – Ongoing Industry Trends and Forecasts for Members:

With the ever-changing status of multiple elements influencing our recovery, PATA recognises the need for frequent and diverse expert-advised trends and forecast reporting. Through live webinars and research reports supported by our vast network of industry experts, we will continue to regularly deliver expert-sourced intelligence reporting to keep you informed.

5 – Vaccine Equity Initiative supporting COVAX/UNICEF :

A foundational element to our recovery is vaccine equity, deployment, and acceptance across the region and beyond. PATA is proud to provide its support to the COVAX/UNICEF initiative in the form of advocacy, industry education, fundraising and, if required, logistics sourcing.  PATA International Members, Chapter Members and Youth Members are invited to join in the session “Webinar | The Race to End the Pandemic: Ensuring Global Vaccine Equity” on Wed, Aug 25 to understand the importance of vaccine equity and what UNICEF/COVAX is doing to drive global vaccination.

6 – PATA Global Community Connections:

Like the rest of the world, PATA was forced to make a big pivot from offline/real life interactions at physical events to online webinars.   We’ve started hosting hybrid events and will continue to a) deliver engaging in-destination physical events wherever possible and b) complement it by leveraging new, engaging technology platforms and content to bring the members together globally and in smaller forums to support your business development.  The strength and depth of the connections built is a core element to the PATA heritage and value proposition and we will find ways to transcend boundaries to continue that.

7 – Knowledge Share / Collaboration with Global Organisations:

We are in regular collaboration with World Bank, ADB, GIZ and other development organisations/consulting firms on industry leading topics to support the recovery.  We regularly engage with the Global Tourism and Travel Task Force meetings along with leaders from WTTC, IATA, ACI, WEF, ICAO and others.  PATA is looking forward to engaging more industry colleagues in supporting the COVAX/UNICEF Vaccine Equity initiative as a foundation to the industry recovery.

8 – Tourism Destination Resilience:

In April PATA launched a project to respond to the need for a more resilient tourism industry that addresses not only the current COVID-19 pandemic, but the next crisis that will surely follow. PATA is managing a team of 20 subject matter experts to provide a framework that will be launched in four PATA member destinations, with online resources available across the industry. The project addresses pillars of resilience including: Environment, Economy, Community, Visitors and Health & Safety. The project is implemented by PATA with support of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The above is in addition to the delivery of regular events – hosted in either a virtual or hybrid format. We currently have 6 scheduled for the balance of the year with more in development.

I view this as just the beginning of our journey to leverage our vast network’s strengths to support each other in this challenging recovery. Pre-pandemic Asia-Pacific was viewed as the engine for growth in the global travel industry.  That high potential and the pent-up demand is still here with us in the region. I’m confident that we’ll emerge better and stronger with a sharper focus on sustainability. We’re working hard to help accelerate this industry recovery and will continue to support you and the broader industry in capturing Asia-Pacific’s opportunities with responsible travel and tourism.

First published at TravelCommunication.net – Global Travel News

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

PATA Appoints Liz Ortiguera as its Next CEO

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Bangkok, Thailand, April 29, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Liz Ortiguera as its next Chief Executive Officer effective May 17, 2021, succeeding Dr. Mario Hardy who will finish his term at the end of May. The announcement was made at the Association’s Board Meeting held earlier today. PATA Chair Soon-Hwa Wong said…

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First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News