PATA Annual Summit & Adventure Mart 2023: A Milestone in Promoting Nepal As Top Adventure DestinationFriday, June 9th, 2023

Pacific Adventure Travel Mart (PATA) International Annual Summit and Adventure Mart – 2023 concluded successfully on June 2, 2023, in the beautiful city of Pokhara. The 4-day event themed “Sustainability through Tourism” started with a mega inauguration ceremony on May 31, attended by tourism representatives and officials from Pokhara and Kathmandu.

Chief Minister of Gandaki Province Mr. Surendra Raj Pandey was Chief Guest at the inauguration program that had participation by more than 200 international delegates including top officials from PATA, delegates, speakers, buyers, sellers, members of the tourism fraternity from Pokhara and Kathmandu, and media. Hon’ble Tourism Minister of Malaysia Dr. Abdulla Mausoom also attended the event and the program as a part of high-level PATA delegate from Maldives. Mayor of Pokhara Metropolitan Mr. Dhanraj Acharya was also present at the program.

CEO of NTB Dr. Dhananjay Regmi was awarded the “PATA Special Award” at the inauguration program. Mr. Peter Semone, Chair of PATA, presented the award to Dr. Regmi thanking his commitment and hard work for tourism promotion of Nepal.

Similarly, Director at Macao Government Tourism Office of Macao, China, Ms. Maria Helena De Senna Fernandes was awarded with PATA Life Time Membership Award 2023, Associate Vice President of International Capilano University of Canada Mr. Chris Bottrill was awarded with Award of Merit 2023, and CEO of Asia China Pte Ld Singapore Mr. Soon Hwa Wong was awarded with PATA Special Award at the same function.

CEO of NTB Dr. Regmi expressed positivity that the event would create high visibility of Nepal all over the world driving healthy revival of the tourism industry still recovering  the global pandemic.

Similarly, Chairman of PATA Mr. Semone appreciated the Nepali hospitality and expressed thankfulness to the organizing committee for making the event a grand success. He opined that the mart of such international stature would help to promote Nepal as an attractive, safe and adventurous tourism destination globally.    

The inauguration was followed by 2-day PATA Conference that covered a range of contemporary topics like: Insights into the Future of Tourism in the Asia Pacific, Challenges and Opportunities for a Responsible Tourism Industry, How to Drive Higher Value Tourism, Return of the Chinese Traveler, Opportunity of the Indian Market, Artificial Intelligence Drive in Tourism Business, Managing of Crisis and Challenges in the Post Pandemic World, Activating Partnerships in Communities for Sustainability, How to Work with Influencers on Social Media among other topics.

The Conference was participated by top tourism experts and professionals from Nepal and abroad. Speakers attending the series of panel discussions stressed on the importance of achieving economic growth and development by promoting sustainable tourism in Nepal.

The Conference was followed by PATA Youth Symposium attended by young officials and delegates at the event. Similarly, B2B sessions were held on May 31-June 1, as a part of the Adventure Mart. At a concluding program, the panelists focused on harnessing the potential of digital platforms including social media and usage of influencers for tourism marketing.

The event was organized by Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and hosted by Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) in association with Pokhara Metropolitan City and Pokhara Tourism Council (PTC). Partners and sponsors for the event included: Asian Development Bank (ADB), Sustainable Tourism Livelihood Recovery Program (STLRP/ UNDP), Nepal Investment Mega Bank (NIMB), Nabil Bank, Everest Bank, Machhapuchchhre Bank, Buddha Air, and Yeti Air. Guests, buyers and sellers from 21 countries participated in the event. The event was a milestone in positioning Nepal as a “Top Adventure Destination” and showcasing Pokhara as the world’s “Top MICE Destination”.

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