Eighth UNWTO/PATA Forum Successfully Held in Guilin
The Eighth UNWTO/PATA Forum on Tourism Trends and Outlook was successfully held in Guilin, China, on 13-15 October 2014. Jointly organised by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the Forum was co-organised by the Guilin Municipal People's Government and the Guangxi Provincial Tourism Bureau, in collaboration with the SHTM at PolyU.
Taking the theme "Enhancing Connectivity in Tourism", the Forum provided a Pan-Asia-Pacific platform on which policymakers, senior officials, researchers and industry executives could share their perspectives, analyse the current tourism situation and map the course of action for the future.
The technical sessions on the first day covered topics such as "Setting the Scene", "Connectivity - The Key to Convenience, Profitability and Sustainability in Tourism", "Enhancing Connectivity of Tourism Research for Better Practice" and "Connectivity and Guilin Tourism Development". The opening session on the second day was hosted by Mr Tang Congyuan, Mayor of Guilin, and officiated at by Mr Du Jiang, Vice Chairman, China National Tourism Administration; Mr Zhu Shanzhong,
Executive Director on Technical Cooperation, UNWTO; Mr Martin Craigs, CEO, PATA; Professor Kaye Chon, SHTM Dean and Chair Professor; and Mr Zhao Leqin, Secretary of the Guilin Municipal Party Committee and Head of the Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee.
The keynote session that followed, entitled "Enhancing Connectivity in Tourism", featured Mr John Koldowski, PATA Special Advisor and Lead Researcher of the UNWTO/PATA Report speaking about "Air Connectivity and its Impact on
Tourism in Asia and the Pacific"; Mr Ronald Kent, Managing Director Marketing, North East Asia Region of Boeing Commercial Airplanes speaking on "Boeing and China Working Together for MAX Tourism Development"; Professor Kaye Chon whose speech covered "Tourism Mega Trends in Asia and the Pacific: Implications for Research and Practice"; and Professor David Jones, Professor and Department Chair, Department of Hospitality Management, University of San Francisco, speaking on "Social Technology's
Impact on Global Tourism Connectivity: Dialogue to Distribution".
The Forum was officially closed on 14 October by Mr Harry Hwang, Deputy Director of the Regional Programme for Asia and the Pacific, UNWTO; Mr Wu Bo, Regional Director-Greater China, PATA and Ms Chen Lihua, Vice Mayor of Guilin. The SHTM was delighted to support the Forum and considers it vital in helping all those who are involved in tourism development and trend analysis from around the world to network, exchange ideas
and establish and cement partnerships.
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