BANGKOK, 3 August 2022: The Pacific Asia Travel Association’s PATA Destination Marketing Forum 2022 opens today in Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand.
The two-day event presents the theme“Building Back Sustainably through Cultural Heritage and Community-based Tourism” and is hosted by the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Songkhla Convention and Exhibition Bureau (SCEB), the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA), and the Prince of Songkhla University with the support of Songkhla City.
The conference will be officially opened Wednesday by Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn.
Two keynote presentations follow. Al Merschen, Partner, International Insights, MMGY Global, presents “The Best Practices for Destination Marketing”, and Audra Morrice, Masterchef Asia/ Singapore Host & Judge, Cook, Author, Australia, focuses on gastronomic tourism to Asia”.
Other confirmed speakers include Supawan Teerarat, Senior Vice President – MICE Capability and Innovation, TCEB; Naomi Mano, Chair, Japan MICE Association; Will Kataria, Senior Director, Sales and Operations, Cvent; Chris Adams, Director, Head of Research and Insights, Miles Partnership; Montakarn Suvanatap Kittipaisalsilp, Programme Officer for Culture, UNESCO Bangkok, Thailand; Dr. Nawamin Pinpathomrat, Doctor, Scientist, MasterChef UK Finalist, Thailand; Noredah Othman, CEO, Sabah Tourism Board; Thoyyib Mohamed, CEO & Managing Director, Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation; Dinh Ngoc Duc, Director General of Tourism Marketing Department, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT); Peter Semone, Chair, PATA; Douangmala Phommavong, Managing Director, Exo Travel Laos Co., Ltd.; Fernanda Rodak, Sustainability & Social Responsibility Project and Research Coordinator, PATA; Wanvipa Phanumat, Director of Community Based Tourism Development, DASTA; Jaray Suwannachart, Lecturer, Faculty of Architecture, Rajamangala University of Technology Srivijaya; Thanawat Charoenpornthip, Head of Koh Yo Tourism Club; Poonsup Chukaew, Head of Node-Na-Le Learning Center, Tha Hin Community, and Pete Bryant, CEO, Steller.
Located in southern Thailand, Songkhla is a fishing town known as a major harbour, seaport, and the “City with Two Seas”. Most recently, Songkhla has been proposed by the Thai government as a World Heritage Site and UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy.
(Source: PATA)
