BANGKOK, 2014-8-18 — /Travel PR News/ — The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Education and Training Committee will organise a PATA Youth Symposium on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 17, at the Cambodia-Korea Cooperation Center (CKCC) of the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP). Under the theme “What Do You Want to Share with the World? Tourism and Cultural Integrity for Cambodia”, the Symposium will commence prior to the 2014 PATA Travel Mart and aims to attract hundreds of young professionals and students from overseas and around Cambodia.
“PATA has successfully organised a series of Youth Symposia around the region. We offer the chance for students and young professionals to be connected and engaged with industry professionals. PATA would like to encourage the younger generation to connect with PATA to enhance their career opportunities for a brighter future,” said Marin J Craigs, PATA CEO.
The programme was developed with guidance from Dr Chris Bottrill, Chairman of the PATA Education and Training Committee and Dean, Faculty of Global and Community Studies, Capilano University. Dr Bottrill noted that, “It is an honour to work with the Royal University of Phnom Penh for this Youth Symposium. We are looking forward to an engaging and dynamic session where students, teachers, and PATA leaders share insights and ideas on cultural tourism issues for Cambodia.”
The symposium will include plenary talks on various topics including: The Power of Opinion – Decision Making, Community Tourism and Empowerment, Protecting Vietnam Hill Tribe Cultural Integrity Through Tourism, Empowering Locals and Preserving Culture, and Connecting Cambodia with the Globe – Airlines and Inbounds – Their Role in Cultural Integrity and Protecting the Future.
All participants will also share their views in roundtable discussions on the following topics: What do you love about Cambodia? What are the most important things to conserve? What are the biggest challenges for Cambodia? And what can you do about these challenges?
Mr Khun Kakda, Lecturer, Department of Tourism, RUPP said, “We are delighted to be part of the PATA Youth Symposium. The symposium provides a great opportunity to show our younger generation the diversity of people who come together as one for sustainable tourism development.”
In recent years, the PATA Education and Training Committee has organised successful educational events at various institutions including UCSI University Sarawak Campus (April 2010), Institute for Tourism Studies (September 2010), Beijing International Studies University(April 2011) and Taylor’s University, Kuala Lumpur (April 2012), Lyceum of the Philippines University, Manila (September 2012), Thammasat University, Bangkok (April 2013), Chengdu Polytechnic, Huayuan Campus, China (September 2013) and Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai Campus, China, (May 2014).
For further information, please visit the PATA website and click to view the video of the2013 PATA Youth Forum.
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About PATA
Founded in 1951, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a not-for profit association that is internationally acclaimed for acting as 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 90 government, state and city tourism bodies, nearly 30 international airlines, airports and cruise lines, 57 educational institutions, and hundreds of travel industry companies in Asia Pacific and beyond. Thousands of travel professionals belong to the 41 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. ThePATAmPOWER 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, Dubai, London and New York. Visit www.PATA.org.
About Royal University of Phnom Penh The Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP) is Cambodia’s oldest and one of the largest public universities. It hosts almost 20,000 scholarship and full-fee paying students, across a diverse range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs. It is unique in Cambodia for offering specialist degrees in fields including the sciences, humanities and social sciences, engineering, development studies, as well as professional degrees in fields such as information technology, electronics, psychology, social work, and tourism. RUPP also provides Cambodia’s foremost degree-level language programs through the Institute of Foreign Languages. Due to its many achievements, RUPP has full membership of the ASEAN University Network (AUN).
RUPP has over 450 full-time staff. All of its 335 academic staff members hold tertiary qualifications, including 6% and 64% holding PhDs and Masters degrees respectively. They are supported by over 120 administrative and maintenance staff. In addition, the university maintains links with Cambodian and international NGOs, local and international universities and government ministries. As a result, various international and non-government organizations and government offices regularly contribute adjunct faculty members to help expand RUPP’s capacity.
RUPP is located on three spacious campuses. The main campus lies roughly five kilometers from the center of Phnom Penh. Adjoining the main campus is the Institute of Foreign Languages, which boasts peaceful landscaping features alongside its modern architecture. Roughly one kilometer further from town lies RUPP Campus II, in which the departments of History, Sociology and Philosophy reside. www.rupp.edu.kh/
Media Contact:
PATA
Paul Pruangkarn
Manager – Communications
Bangkok, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 658 2000
E-mail: Communications@PATA.org
Online newsroom: www.PATA.org/Press