Skal and PATA Unite to Promote Phuket Tourism

Skal International Phuket and South Thailand and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Thailand Chapter are launching a new era of tourism cooperation with local government and Phuket's travel trade to promote the destination. The first-ever joint Skal and PATA in Phuket event will be held at the Movenpick Resort & Spa Karon Beach on Saturday 24 September starting at 5.30pm. Travel and tourism industry leaders are invited to join the event to learn how membership in Skal and PATA can benefit their travel businesses in Phuket. Interested individuals can book a reservation and find additional information at http://skalphuket.org/ and www.pata-thailand.org. The evening will include a brief introduction to both associations by leading members of Thailand's tourism industry including Asian Trails CEO Mr Luzi Matzig, PATA Director of Chapter Development Ms Ben Montgomery, HotelTravel.com Founder & CEO Mr Blair Speers, Sk?l International Phuket and South Thailand President Ms Blandine Cressard, and PATA Thailand Chapter Chairman Mr Bert van Walbeek. Confirmed guests include Royal Thai Government Phuket MP Ms Anchalee Vanich Tephabutra, Korean Honorary Consulate Mr Tosaporn Tephabutra and PATA head office interim CEO Mr Bill Calderwood. According to Mr Calderwood, since the Chapter meeting in Beijing in April this year, the new emphasis at PATA is to build the business for members. "It is imperative for PATA to have more outreach. The chapter movement now has great traction with 39 Chapters globally, up from 37 last year. There are ere promising new chapter developments in the pipeline in China, Myanmar and Phuket," Mr Calderwood, said. Other confirmed Thai tourism stake holders scheduled to attend include Phuket Tourism Association Vice President Mr Bhuritt Maswongssa, Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket Ms Bangornrat Shinaprayoon, Director of Ministry of Sports and Tourism Phuket Mr Baoyun Suwanmanee, British Honorary Consulate Mr Martin Carpenter (MBE), and German Honorary Consulate Mr Dirk Naumann. Skal International Phuket and South Thailand President, Ms Blandine Cressard, said: "Skal International Phuket members' knowledge of the local market, tourism trends and understanding of current issues impacting the industry will add real value to the event on Saturday. We look forward to working with the PATA Thailand Chapter with the common goal of promoting tourism to Phuket and Thailand." Both PATA and Skal have local chapters and a global network. Skal for example has a database of over 20,000 members worldwide. PATA has over 700 member organisations from the public and private sector around the world. "PATA and Sk?l work closely together in Bangkok and our joint event in Phuket on 24 September will allow us to explore new ways to deepen collaboration." said PATA Thailand Chapter Chairman Mr Bert van Walbeek. He added: "Both organisations seek to promote Thailand as a successful long term tourism destination. The expertise in PATA and Sk?l should be used to protect and enhance Phuket's brand reputation. During the meeting senior PATA Thailand Chapter and PATA head office executives will explain the benefits of chapter membership." This joint Skal International Phuket and South Thailand and PATA Thailand Chapter dinner event is sponsored by the Wine Connection Phuket and HotelTravel.com. Are you a travel industry professional based in Phuket and interested in attending the event or need more information? Contact Mr Arnupab Satakorn on [email protected]. About PATA 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 within the Asia Pacific region. This year, PATA is proud to celebrate 60 dynamic years of developing responsible tourism. In partnership with private and public sector members, PATA enhances the sustainable growth, value and quality of travel and tourism to, from and within, the region. The Association provides leadership and counsel on an individual and collective basis to over 80 government, state and city tourism bodies; nearly 50 international airlines, airports and cruise lines and many hundreds of travel industry companies across the Asia Pacific region and beyond. Thousands of travel professionals belong to 39 active PATA chapters worldwide and participate in a wide range of PATA and industry events. PATA's Strategic Intelligence Centre (SIC) offers unrivalled data and insights including Asia Pacific inbound and outbound statistics, analyses and forecasts as well as in-depth reports on strategic tourism markets. For more information, please visit www.PATA.org. About PATA Thailand Chapter The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Thailand Chapter is a voluntary not-for-profit membership organisation that supports the responsible development of the travel and tourism industry in Thailand. The Chapter organises tourism training seminars, disseminates useful information to its members and the media and supports the strategic objectives of PATA head office. The Chapter comprises both private and government sectors. Further information: www.pata-thailand.org. About Skal International Skal is a non-profit international organisation of tourism leaders around the world (20,000 members in 85 countries with over 450 clubs) promoting global tourism and friendship. It is the only international group uniting all branches of the travel and tourism industries. Its members are managers and executive who meet at local, national, regional and international levels to discuss and pursue topics of common interest. Further information: http://skalphuket.org/ http://www.wineconnection.co.th/ http://www.hoteltravel.com/

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