Auckland Tourism Events & Economic Development & PATA Host Tourism Leaders Forum

Auckland Tourism Events & Economic Development & PATA Host Tourism Leaders Forum

Auckland (New Zealand) – July 26, 2017 (travelindex.com) – Tourism industry leaders in New Zealand are set to address the challenges and opportunities facing public and private organisations as the nation seeks to maximise the sector’s economic benefits.

The Tourism Leaders Forum, with the title ‘Being Future Ready’, is presented jointly by Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA). The event takes place on Thursday 28 September 2017 at the Lysaght Building in Auckland from 15.30 hrs.

Confirmed speakers for the Tourism Leaders panel session include Nick Hill, CEO – ATEED; Chris Roberts, CEO of Tourism Industry Aoteroa (TIA); Stephen England-Hall, CEO of Tourism New Zealand, and Cam Wallace – Chief Revenue Officer at Air New Zealand.

The panel discussion with tourism industry leaders is being moderated by Hywel Griffith, the BBC World News correspondent for Australia and New Zealand.

Former TIA Chief Executive Martin Snedden, who masterminded the nation’s Tourism 2025 Plan, is opening the Forum and is set to provide an overview of the Plan’s objectives. Delegates will be welcomed by PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy.

The programme is designed as an important forerunner to the annual PATA Global Insights Conference taking place for the third consecutive year on Friday 29 September at the SKYCITY Grand Hotel in Auckland.

PATA Regional Director – Pacific Chris Flynn said, “This Tourism Leaders Forum brings together an important and influential group to address issues, threats, challenges and opportunities for New Zealand’s tourism sector in line with the Tourism 2025 Plan and beyond. Our role, at PATA, is to encourage responsible and sustainable development that delivers tangible economic benefits, particularly for local communities. I’m sure that the views expressed at this Forum will influence the direction of our Global Insights Conference taking place during the course of the following day.”

Delegates attending PGIC on 29 September enjoy complimentary admission to the Tourism Leaders Forum on 28 September. Registration for the Forum alone is US$100.

Chris Flynn added, “Capacity restrictions at the venue on 28 September mean that we are processing registrations on a first-come, first-served basis and I recommend early registration to avoid disappointment.”

The programme begins at 15.30 hrs. (registration & refreshments) and concludes at 17.35 hrs. with a cocktail reception sponsored kindly by SKYCITY Entertainment.

For more details and to register, please visit:

About PATA
Founded in 1951, PATA is a not-for-profit membership association that acts a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its member organisations, comprising 95 government, state and city tourism bodies, 25 international airlines and airports, 108 hospitality organisations, 72 educational institutions, and hundreds of travel industry companies in Asia Pacific and beyond. Thousands of travel professionals belong to the 36 local PATA chapters worldwide. The chapters organise travel industry training and business development events. Their grassroots activism underpins PATA’s membership of the Global Travel Association Coalition (GTAC), which includes ACI, CLIA, IATA, ICAO, WEF, UNWTO and the WTTC. The PATAmPOWER platform delivers unrivalled data, forecasts and insights from the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre to members’ desktops and mobile devices anywhere in the world. PATA’s Head Office has been in Bangkok since 1998. The Association also has official offices or representation in Beijing, Sydney and London.