The Asian Development Bank, Guilin Institute of Tourism and Pacific Asia Travel Association to host training programme for travel industry professionals in Guilin, Guangxi, China

BANGKOK, 2014-8-21 — /Travel PR News/ — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) in partnership with the Guilin Institute of Tourism (GIT) and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) are delighted to invite travel industry professionals to attend the ADB-Phnom Penh Plan (PPP) for Development Management Learning Programme on “Tourism Management in the Greater Mekong Subregion.” The five-day training programme will be held on October 13-17, 2014 at GIT in Guilin, Guangxi, China. Guilin is China’s most picturesque region and has long been one of the world’s most famous travel destinations.

The learning programme aims to demonstrate to participating GMS middle level civil servants how to strengthen their competencies to develop and implement functional and strategic tourism interventions (policies, programs, and projects). It aims to develop participants’ abilities to analyse tourism issues and their implications for value chain analysis; provide best practices and failure case studies in tourism planning and management for poverty alleviation; and broaden appreciation of participants in tourism planning and management, project design and implementation, community-based tourism, designing pro-poor interventions, and using technology in tourism marketing and knowledge dissemination.

Towards the end of the programme, participants will negotiate a deal to develop a rural tourism project by applying the new knowledge derived from the presentations and materials delivered during the prior sessions of the programme.

In an effort to continuously improve the PPP and to ensure application of learning in the work place, the programme is targeting a mixed group of 24 participants comprising GMS National Tourism Office (NTO) counterparts, members of the GMS Tourism Working Group (TWG), and open applications for industry professionals.

Mr Alfredo Perdiguero, Principal Regional Cooperation Specialist, ADB said, “The ADB-PPP Learning Programme has had many notable achievements. Since its inception, 2,458 GMS civil servants have attended 121 programmes. This year, we are delighted to welcome industry professionals from the PATA network to join our programme.”

Mr Martin J Craigs, CEO, PATA added, “This is the first time ADB is welcoming participants from outside the GMS destinations to join this one-week training programme. This is an opportune time for industry professionals to learn and gain practical experiences from a team of experts and to network with government officials from the GMS destinations. I would like to encourage everyone within the PATA network to spend one fruitful week in Guilin.”

Mr Yang Jie, President, GIT said, “On behalf of the Guilin Institute of Tourism, I am honored to extend our warmest welcome to all of the participants, and would like to congratulate each if you for making the right decision in joining this workshop. You are specialists with broad experiences and theoretical knowledge of the tourism industry, therefore your participation provides a great opportunity for GIT to learn from your experiences. In the meantime I hope that during your stay in Guilin you can travel around the city and give us your valuable advice on the future of the tourism industry for this glamorous city.”

The programme will include the following themes, topics, and activity:

– Public private partnerships in community-based tourism
– Value chain analysis and interventions including importance of mainstreaming
– Technology in tourism marketing and knowledge dissemination, and
– GMS regional cooperation in tourism
– Field visits to Long Ji Rice Terrace, Pingan and Miao Village

To view more information on the programme, click here.

The learning programme will be taught by a team of experts who have extensive knowledge and experience in tourism policy, planning and management. They will be drawn from a pool of educators, civil servants and practitioners in tourism management, training and consultancy as well as staff of the Asian Development Bank. The team includes Dr. Trevor Sofield, Professor of Tourism, University of Tasmania; Dr. Li Fung Mei Sarah, Independent Consultant Specialising in China Tourism Development, Policy, and Planning; Mr Alfredo Perdiguero, Principal Regional Cooperation Specialist, ADB; Mr Steven Schipani, Senior Social Sector Specialist, ADB; and Mr George Cao, Dragon Trail Interactive, China.

The programme will be conducted using a combination of learning methods — lectures, case studies, field visits, group discussions, and problem solving and simulation exercises. Participants will be organised into learning groups to facilitate participatory learning and emphasise practitioner orientation and action learning.

Registration fee is US$1,888 for PATA members, US$2,100 for Chapter Members and US$2,400 for non-members. The fee will cover all expenses associated with participation in this programme including tuition, programme materials, activities, site visits, airport/hotel transfer in Guilin, and lunches/dinners listed in the official programme. The fee will exclude air ticket, hotel accommodation and a few dinners.

For further information, please visit http://www.pata.org/events/adb-ppp-tourism-management-in-the-gms-learning-programme. To register, please contact Parita Niemwongse at HCD@PATA.org. Click to view 138 things to do in Guilin by TripAdvisor.

-ENDS-

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 ADB
The Asian Development Bank aims for an Asia and Pacific free from poverty. Approximately 1.6 billion people in the region are poor and unable to access essential goods, services, assets and opportunities to which every human is entitled. A leader in development, watch how ADB improves the quality of life for millions in Asia and the Pacific.

Since its founding in 1966, ADB has been driven by an inspiration and dedication to improving people’s lives in Asia and the Pacific. By targeting our investments wisely, in partnership with our developing member countries and other stakeholders, we can alleviate poverty and help create a world in which everyone can share in the benefits of sustained and inclusive growth.

Whether it be through investment in infrastructure, health care services, financial and public administration systems, or helping nations prepare for the impact of climate change or better manage their natural resources, ADB is committed to helping developing member countries evolve into thriving, modern economies that are well integrated with each other and the world.

The main devices for assistance are loans, grants, policy dialogue, technical assistance and equity investments.

We are at the forefront of development thinking and practice, spreading information through regional forums, a growing online presence and the publication of specialized papers, serials and books.

Economists, sociologists, engineers, gender experts and environmental scientists are amongst the hundreds of professions at the bank working together to reduce poverty, and ensure growth across the Asia and Pacific region is sustainable and inclusive.

About GIT
Founded in 1985, Guilin Institute of Tourism (GIT) has been dedicated to training talents for the booming tourism industry for China and the Asia-Pacific region. The school is favorably located in Guilin, a city known as the most beautiful place in China and a very popular international tourist destination. The 125-hectare GIT new campus constitutes a picturesque garden which combines natural landscape and state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities.

Currently the eight departments and two schools of GIT offers 57 three-year program mainly cater to the rapid development of tourism industry. GIT boasts a well-structured and industry-oriented teaching force that includes professors and professionals from both home and overseas. By the end of 2013 around 9，600 students from around China are studying at GIT on full time basis. In the meantime GIT attracts adult students and overseas students from many ASEAN countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Indonesia.

GIT chooses to develop into an internationally recognized tourism institute of high learning. As part of the strategy of Going Global, GIT has enjoyed rewarding co-operation with the United Nation World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Pacific Asia Tourism Association (PATA), and over 20 plus institutions of higher learning across the world.

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

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