Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) New Executive Board Members

By Anthony Tan | Virgin Communications
email: anthonykhtan@yahoo.co.uk




Picture: Top Row Left to Right:  W. Scott Supernaw, Tauck, Inc., Chairman, PATA; Kevin Murphy, President & CEO, Asiawide Hospitality Solutions (AHS), Vice Chairman, PATA; Basant Raj Mishra, Executive Chairman, Venture, Travel (Temple Tiger) Nepal, Secretary/Treasurer, PATA; Setyono Djuandi Darmono, Chairman, PT Jakarta Old Town Revitalization Corporation. Middle Row L/R:  Andrew Ford, Vice President, Global Business Development, DFS; H.E. Ramon R. Jimenez Jr., Secretary, Philippines Department of Tourism; Andrew Jones, Guardian, Sanctuary Resorts, Hong Kong SAR; and Sarah Mathews, Destination Marketing Senior Sales Manager APAC, TripAdvisor. Bottom Row L/R:  Henry Oh, Jr., Vice Chairman, Global Tour, Ltd.; Karl A Pangelinan, General Manager, Guam Visitors Bureau; Stephen Pearce, Vice President, Leisure Travel & Digital Marketing, Tourism Vancouver, Canada; and Mohamed Sallauddin Hj. Mat Sah, General Manager Marketing, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd.

 

 

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) had Board Meeting on May 18, 2014 in Zhuhai, China and elected new Executive Board members.

 

Heading the new board as Chairman of the Executive Board of PATA is W. Scott Supernaw, of Tauck, Inc. who replaces Joao Manuel Costa Antunes who has served as Chairman of PATA since April 2012 and will become PATA Immediate Past Chairman.

 

Mr. Supernaw said, “This is a dynamic and experienced Executive Board that is committed to continuing the effective employment of the Association’s resources for the development and expansion of PATA’s leading role in assisting its members in the responsible development and growth of travel and tourism in the Pacific Asia region.”

 

Mr. Supernaw has extensive experience in the development and management of new and established brands in the travel industry. He is the former President and CEO of Olson-Travelworld and Managing Director-International of Tauck Inc.

 

He is a founding member and past two-term Chairman of the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA), 1986-1988. He has also served on the advisory boards of the French, Swiss and Israeli government tourism boards. In the early 1980’s he was one of 7 U.S. tour operators invited by the Chinese Government (CITS) to consult and work with them in the development of their long haul, inbound, tour business.

 

In addition, PATA has elected seven new members to its Executive Board including, Kevin Murphy, President & CEO, Asiawide Hospitality Solutions (AHS), Basant Raj Mishra, Executive Chairman, Venture, Travel (Temple Tiger) Nepal; Setyono Djuandi Darmono, Chairman, PT Jakarta Old Town Revitalization Corporation; Andrew Ford, Vice President, Global Business Development, DFS; H.E. Ramon R. Jimenez Jr., Secretary, Philippines Department of Tourism; Sarah Mathews, Destination Marketing Senior Sales Manager APAC, TripAdvisor; Henry Oh, Jr., Vice Chairman, Global Tour, Ltd.; and Stephen Pearce, Vice President, Leisure Travel & Digital Marketing, Tourism Vancouver, Canada.

 

Long-time PATA member Mr. Murphy has been elected as the new Vice Chairman and Mr. Mishra has been elected Secretary/Treasurer.

 

As President and CEO of AHS, Mr. Murphy continues to head a team of highly experienced hospitality professional advisors that provide informed guidance to existing and new hotel owners and hospitality investors for their hotel real estate interests worldwide. AHS assists both international and Asian based owners with effective and strategic hospitality investment planning, acquisition and asset management, and the securing of improved profitability within their existing hospitality portfolios in Asia and elsewhere.

 

A member of PATA since 1984, Mr. Murphy was awarded the PATA Order of Merit in 2003, the PATA Chairman’s Award in 2006 and 2008, and PATA Life Membership for his continued contributions in past roles to the association’s members and in the growth of responsible and sustainable tourism in the Asia Pacific region.

 

As the Executive Chairman of the Temple Tiger Group of Companies, Mr. Mishra is a well-known name in the travel trade community. He is the former chairman of the PATA Nepal Chapter, Secretary of PATA Nepal Chapter, Executive Member of PATA Nepal Chapter, Advisor of PATA Nepal Chapter, and Founder Board of Nepal Association Tourism Board (NTB). Mr. Mishra is an energetic and visionary entrepreneur. A widely travelled entrepreneur, he also has been carrying out responsibilities as the Honorary Consul of Republic of Chile to Nepal.

 

Re-elected Executive Board members include Andrew Jones, Guardian, Sanctuary Resorts, Hong Kong SAR; Karl A. Pangelinan, General Manager, Guam Visitors Bureau; and Mohamed Sallauddin Hj. Mat Sah, General Manager Marketing, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd.

Malaysia Premium Travel Fair and Global Cruise Tourism Conference 2014

By Anthony Tan | Virgin Communications

email: anthonykhtan@yahoo.co.uk

 



 Panoramic view of the cruise along Danube River

             

Malaysian Premium Travel Fair (MPTF) 2014 and Global Cruise Tourism Conference (GCTC) 2014 are scheduled to be held this month at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from Aug 7 to 10.
 

This luxury yacht has 25-cabin for private charter cruising in Malaysia water

GCTC will be held on Aug 7 and 8 at the Plenary Hall from 9am to 6pm while MPTF will be held from Aug 8 to 10 at Hall 5 and 6 of the convention centre, from 11am to 8pm.

 

MPTF and GCTC 2014 organising Chairman Datuk Mohd Khalid Harun (Past President of MATTA) said the industry was heading towards luxury tourism and sees there was a demand for it.

 

“Malaysia is ready to promote high-end tourism to the world. Malaysians are becoming more affluent and with that, they want a certain lifestyle and luxury benefits.

 

“They are willing to pay for premium and niche products. So, both the events are ideal opportunities for the travel and tourism industry to reach out to over 30,000 high-end consumers,” he said during a press conference to announce both the events recently.
 

Charter Private Jet by high end holiday seekers landing at Skypark Subang  



Datuk Azizan Noordin

Also present at the press conference is Tourism Malaysia deputy director-general Datuk Azizan Noordin said “Tourism Malaysia will be taking up 20 booths at the MPTF 2014 and will focus on five areas during the fair that is hotels, spa, helicopter tour, Menara Kuala Lumpur and luxury vehicles.”

 

He further added that for the hotels sector, Tourism Malaysia would be bringing in The Settlement Melaka to promote boutique hotels. Azizan said the helicopter tours which are popular among Middle Eastern tourists and is considered as one of the cheapest in the world. He believed the conference will help put Malaysia on the cruise tourism the map and there were 512,400 cruise passengers landed in Malaysia last year.

 

 

Helicopter tour in Sabah



Entrance to the luxury CHI Spa @
Rasa Sayang Resort and
 Spa in Penang

Pahang Tourism and Culture Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Sharkar Shamsudin, who was present said Pahang Tourism had been given an opportunity to be chosen as the Favourite Domestic Destination Partner for the fair this year.

 

Mohd Sharkar added “I hope with our participation in the fair, we can achieve our target of 12 million tourists and RM8.5bil in tourism receipts for Pahang in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2014. Pahang which is famous for its eco-tourism, had 10.5 million tourists arrival and received RM7.5bil in tourism receipts last year.” 

 

There will be a total of 220 booths and 55 exhibitors, including operators and providers of helicopter tour services, theme parks, premium spas and wellness facilities, cruise liners and yacht clubs, high-end transportation vehicles as well as state tourism organisations.

 



Luxury holidays includes fine dining and a popular restaurant in
Penang is the Ferringhi Grill at Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa

Pacific Asia Travel Association Announces 2014 Grand and Gold Award Winners

By Anthony Tan | Virgin Communications
email: anthonykhtan@yahoo.co.uk

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2014 PATA Grand and Gold Awards. The awards luncheon and presentation will take place at Diamond Island City Hall, on Friday, September 19, 2014 during the PATA Travel Mart, September 17-19 and PATA Executive Board and Board Meeting, September 19-21. The Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) had supported and sponsored the awards for the last 19 years in recognising the achievements of 20 travel trade industries categories and individuals.

 

Ms Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director of MGTO, said, “Hats off to all PATA Gold Award 2014 winners! Your outstanding achievements are a breath of fresh air to the rest of the region, broadening our horizons and inspiring us to aim high, not merely on our respective destinations, but collectively as a region. The Macau Government Tourist Office is honoured to support this far-reaching PATA programme through our sponsorship for the last 19 years.”

 

Mr. Martin J. Craigs, PATA CEO, added, “On behalf of PATA, I would like to extend our warmest congratulations to all 2014 Grand and Gold Award winners. We are pleased to recognise their achievements at the PATA Gold Awards Luncheon and Presentation and look forward to celebrating their accomplishments at the PATA Travel Mart in Phnom Penh.”

 

The PATA Grand Awards are presented to outstanding entries in four principal categories: Marketing; Education and Training; Environment; and Heritage and Culture.

 

Open to both PATA and non-PATA members, this year's Awards attracted a total of 181 entries from 66 travel and tourism organisations.

 

PATA Grand Awards 2014

 

Education and Training

Vietnam Ethnic Hill Tribe Community Tourism Partnership

Capilano University, Canada

 

Environment

Man and Nature in Perfect Harmony

Jetwing Vil Uyana, Sri Lanka

 

Heritage and Culture

Banteay Chhmar Tented Camp

Khiri Travel

 

Marketing

100% Middle-earth, 100% Pure New Zealand

Tourism New Zealand

 

PATA Gold Award 2014

 

Marketing – Primary Government Destination

Hold My Hand in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Tourism Board

 

Marketing - Secondary Government Destination

Open Up to More – Melbourne

Tourism Victoria, Australia

 

Marketing - Carrier

Immigration on Board

Garuda Indonesia, Indonesia

 

Marketing – Hospitality

Rosewood A Sense of Place

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, Hong Kong SAR

          

Marketing – Industry

Making Holidays a Priority for Indians

Kuoni Travel (India), India

 

Environment - Ecotourism Project

Elpitiya Plantations Excursions

Aitken Spence Travels, Sri Lanka

 

Environment - Corporate Environmental Programme

Planet 21

Accor Asia-Pacific

 

Environment - Environmental Education Programme

My Land, My Water, My Home

Palau Visitors Authority

 

Corporate Social Responsibility

Kumarakom Responsible Tourism

Kerala Tourism, India

 

Heritage

Garuda Indonesia Experience

Garuda Indonesia, Indonesia

 

Culture

Wonder Full Water and Light Show at Marina Bay Sands

Laservision Mega Media Ltd, Singapore

 

Education and Training

Building futures

Accor Asia-Pacific

 

Marketing Media - Consumer Travel Brochure

Shop Guam Festival Travel and Shopping

Guam Visitor Bureau, Guam

Marketing Media - Travel Advertisement Broadcast Media

Kuoni Travel (India), Making Holidays a Priority for Indians

Marketing Media – Travel Advertising Print Media

Living Canvas

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, Hong Kong SAR

 

Marketing Media – Travel Poster

Korean Royal Court Cuisine and Bibimbap

Korea Tourism Organization, Korea SAR

Marketing Media – Promotional Travel Video

Malaysia Truly Asia – The Essence of Asia

Tourism Malaysia, M&C SAATCHI (M) SDN BHD

 

Marketing Media – Public Relations Campaign

Hong Kong Tourism Board

2013 Visa go Hong Kong Super Shopper

Marketing Media – Social Media

Thailand Only

Tourism Authority of Thailand

Marketing Media – Web Site

New Website Creation

Rosewood Hotels and Resorts, Hong Kong SAR

 

Marketing Media – E-Newsletter

Kerala Tourism, India

 

Travel Journalism – Destination Article

Hong Kong Now

Written by Peter Jon Lindberg and photographed by Adam Friedberg

Travel & Leisure Magazine, October 2013, USA

                      

Travel Journalism – Industry Business Article

Team On Board

Interviewed By Raini Hamdi, Karen Yue, Xinyi Liang-Pholsena, S Puvaneswary and Rosa Ocampo

TTGMice, May 2013, Singapore

                      

Travel Journalism – Travel Photograph

Footprints on the Beach

Tourism Authority of Thailand

 

Travel Journalism – Travel Guidebook

Colours of the Sky

Tourism Authority of Thailand

 

Capilano University will receive the 2014 PATA Grand Award for Education and Training for its "Vietnam Ethnic Hill Tribe Community Tourism Partnership" project. Through the project, Capilano University faculty and students travel to Sapa and Hanoi in Vietnam to work in partnership with Hanoi Open University (HOU) in delivering skills-based training in areas of homestay development, business development, product development, tourism planning, and cultural preservation. The project aims to build the tourism capacity of the village and foster tourism networks through connections between the village and private sector tourism organisations.

 

The Environmental Award will be presented to Jetwing Vil Uyana, Sri Lanka, for its "Man and Nature in Perfect Harmony” project. Jetwing Vil Uyana embodies the ultimate in eco-friendly luxury - a private nature reserve created on abandoned agricultural land, comprising a wetland eco-system with lakes, reed beds, and forest. Thirty luxurious dwellings are integrated into a wetland reserve of three acres despite the property spanning 24 acres. Paddy is grown on five acres of land using traditional harvesting methods with dwellings set within the paddy field - a first in Sri Lanka – and the entire property is now home to many species of flora and fauna, including the elusive loris, for whom a separate area of three acres has been designated as a loris conservation site.

 

The Heritage and Culture Award will be awarded to Khiri Travel for its “Banteay Chhmar Tented Camp.” Banteay Chhmar is a neglected collection of late 12th Century temple ruins in northwest Cambodia. Khiri Travel allows guests to stay in ‘luxury’ tents, enabling a natural, self-sustainable option for the community. The tents are erected approximately 50 meters from temple ruins to give guests a sense of real affinity, proximity and ‘adventure’. After the tents are dismantled, there are no traces of them having ever been there – apart from a small patch of compressed grass. The programme aims to build awareness and understanding of the significant cultural heritage in the Khmer context, enhance the local villagers’ income and pride, and provide a low impact and mutually beneficial tourist-host community relationship.

 

The Marketing Award will be presented to Tourism New Zealand for its "100% Middle-earth, 100% Pure New Zealand” campaign. Tourism New Zealand aims to leverage the huge media and consumer attention that The Hobbit Trilogy has and will continue to achieve, and convert that attention into travel to New Zealand – the country where the movies were made. The campaign, developed in partnership with The Hobbit moviemakers Warner Brothers and Weta Workshop, has been the primary marketing campaign for Tourism New Zealand in its key offshore markets. The Hobbit and associated marketing campaigns has been a significant contributor to visitor arrival growth to New Zealand over the last 18 months.

 

Bon Odori Festival, an annual Japanese Festival held in Penang

By Anthony Tan | VIRGIN Communications
email: anthonykhtan@yahoo.co.uk
 

 

 

The annual Bon Odori, a Japanese cultural festival which will be held at Esplanade (Padang Kota Lama) on the 19 July, will see not only the Japanese community living in Penang celebrating this festival but also the Malaysians are joining in as well.

 

Some of the Japanese living nearby Penang and some as far KL will also converged in Penang for this annual festival filled with exciting games, delicious Japanese food and snacks, exotic cultural performances and many more.

  

There will be over 80 stalls selling authentic Japanese food, handicrafts and games. Visitors can also try out Japanese traditional costumes and take photos or with the Cosplayers.

 

The organisers have specially arranged to fly-in two performing groups from Japan to enhanced the night with true Japanese atmosphere with Japanese Folk dance and Dagaya, a special taiko drums group.

 

There will also be a Miss Yukata Competition this year. The champion will be rewarded with RM1,500 with the second prize winner will take home RM1,000 and the third-placed winner will receive RM500.

 

The festival will start at 6pm and the fireworks will start at 10pm just before the finale for the night.


An example of a taiko drums group
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yc42WNJjYw