PATA Travel Mart 2016 (PTM2016) officially opened in BSD-Serpong, Indonesia recently, with the official PTM2016 Welcome Reception hosted by the Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia and presided over by the Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia, Jusuf Kalla. The Mart, hosted by the Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia, attracted 1,358 delegates from 63 destinations around the world.
The total number of delegates for PTM2016 includes 683 sellers from 272 organisations and 36 destinations, along with 258 buyers from 247 organisations and 52 source markets. The Mart this year saw first-time sellers from the State of Palestine, the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Russian Federation, and Zimbabwe.
The ribbon cutting ceremony was conducted by Arief Yahya, Minister of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia; I Gde Pitana, Deputy Minister for International Tourism Marketing, and Setyono Djuandi Darmono, Chairman of the PATA Indonesia Chapter in the presence of PATA Chairman Andrew Jones, PATA CEO Mario Hardy, members of the PATA Executive Board and many distinguished guests from Indonesia and overseas, including YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Tourism, Malaysia and Y.Bhg Datuk Seri Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, Director General of Tourism Malaysia.
Addressing a media briefing at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE) later that morning, Jones stated that the Association had previously organised four successful events in Indonesia, in Jakarta (1991) and in Bali (1985, 1989 and 2007). He noted that, “It is one of the reasons why PATA is committed to providing opportunities and activities to help support and nurture the growth and development of travel and tourism in this country. It is also the reason why we are excited to facilitate engagement between Indonesia and the rest of the world through the Mart. It is a relationship that best highlights the activities of PATA and the unlimited potential for growth of Indonesia.”
Jones also wished all delegates every success with their networking and contracting activities. He stressed the remarkable value of conducting business at PATA Travel Mart, noting that the annual event remains one of Asia Pacific’s most value adding and cost effective networking and contracting event.
PATA CEO Dr Mario Hardy used the opportunity during the morning media briefing session to thank President University for hosting the PATA Youth Symposium to be held later that day. The event, organised by the Association’s Human Capital Development team with the theme ‘Young Entrepreneurs Role in Tourism’s Future’, attracted over 190 young professionals.
