PATA heads to Negombo discusses ‘disruption in travel’

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) scheduled to meet in Negombo this month will look at the future of tourism and the disruption caused by external factors that have grown and are taking shape today in a prominent manner.

With international travel set to double to two billion in the next 15 years the industry’s big or small players today have a level playing field to attract the numbers through the marketing and media channels that are widely available to reach out to travelers. In this respect, the PATA summit in Negombo will see a discussion on the shared economy, its impact, the traditional versus digital marketing approaches and consumer habits of future travellers. The changing face of the marketing sector will become a key topic as the digital landscape has transformed the travel industry with the discussion set to focus on online and technology trends that are changing the way in which travelers pick their travel destination and industry partners. Another key aspect would be the discussion on the Internet that has allowed even any individual or local community to create content and services and market to travellers worldwide. This session will look at the role of online intermediaries as curators of experiences and outline the future landscape of the travel industry. The arrival of the millennials into the workforce has posed a challenge and this would be taken up as a learning curve to building working relationships and managing these young professionals in the workplace.