PATA for Next Gen leaders
Catches up with Eng Joao Manuel Costa Antunes, Chairman, PATA in New Delhi on his first visit to India after taking over as the Chairman for the next two years.
According to Antunes, PATA is in a ‘transition’ mode and is actively looking at enlarging its boundaries to more regions in the world.
“After the existence of PATA for over 60 years, we are now in a transition peri- od. PATA has members from Turkey to the US and is now aiming to create new markets and networks to explore new opportunities.” PATA recently also reopened its Hong Kong Chapter.
The Chairman also had fruitful interactions with the Ambassadors of South American countries in Bangkok recently and is keen to expand PATA’s network to these countries soon.
Talking about the importance of the India Chapter, he reveals, “The India Chapter is an important entity in PATA. The reason for my visit here is to celebrate the longetivity of the chapter
as it was created as early as in 1974. It has grown to be one of the largest and most dynamic chapters in the region with 236 members, including the Ministry of Tourism, State Tourism Boards, service providers, airlines, hotels, tour operators and travel agents.”
The Chairman, who is also the Director of the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), visited Subodh Kant Sahai, Union Minister for Tourism, and RH Khwaja, Secretary, Tourism, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India to explore opportunities for closer cooperation in line with ‘PATA Next Gen’ principles.
Regarding the suggestions the autonomous PATA India chapter can implement, the chairman opines, “The creation of new sub-chapters within India would be a good initiative. In US, we have created separate chapters as it is a huge country. Currently, there is just one single PATA India chapter. The US model could be applied to India in due course of time to make its functioning more effective.”
Antunes also stresses on the importance of the future professionals and leaders in the tourism industry. “We want the students to be engaged so that they, in turn, can create their own leaders. These leaders can then undertake projects on tourism. Thus, creating dedicated student chapters within the existing chapters to engage students and faculties of tourism and hospitality institutes and universities should be undertaken. This model has been successful in Beijing where the student chapters are extremely proactive,” he reveals. The India Chapter is a role model for other chapters because it has senior members of the industry at the leadership level as well as members. They must come forward to prepare the next generation professionals for the industry, he adds. To engage the youth, the PATA 2012 Manila Youth Forum will offer tourism and hospitality students a unique opportunity to meet and hear from the industry leaders as well.
Going forward, another major issue that PATA wants to tackle is crisis management. “We have the responsibility to create a comprehensive crisis management system by integrating the existing systems at different levels. Crisis management is a big concern today for destinations. PATA wants to create a platform so that we can respond to such situations as quickly as possible,” he points out.
TT BUREAU This
year's expert judging panel will be looking to award an innovative company for their pioneering technology solutions, which will make a significant impact on the industry. The contestants will get a chance to win their place in the Technology Village at the 25th edition of EIBTM and exposure to over 15,200 meetings industry professionals and the global meetings industry media. The winner will also receive a diary of pre-scheduled appointments that have been co- ordinated with Hosted Buyers who have indicated a genuine interest in their products. Submissions will be judged on innovation and uniqueness, impact to the meetings industry as well as completeness of the product of service. The 2012 panel of industry experts is scheduled to be chaired by Corbin Ball of Corbin Ball Associates. The judging panel will also comprise Michelle Bruno, President, Bruno Group Signature Events; Paul Hussey, Business Development Director, BSI Meetings and Events; Ruud W. Janssen, Marketing Entrepreneur, TNOC; Martin Sirk, CEO, ICCA; Bruce MacMillan, Former CEO & President, MPI and new addition, Deborah Sexton, President and CEO, PCMA.