BANGKOK, 2014-12-22 — /Travel PR News/ — The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is pleased to be a supporting partner of the second Pacific Asia Indigenous Tourism Conference (PAITC), The event, organised by the World Indigenous Tourism Alliance (WINTA) and Aboriginal Tourism British Columbia (AtBC), will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia from September 12 -14, 2015.
PATA CEO Mario Hardy said, “PATA is proud to support our partners such as WINTA in organising this event. Indigenous tourism is a subject that deserves more focus and attention, and this event is the perfect opportunity to discuss this topic. Our commitment to this issue is supported by the Association’s forthcoming report which focuses on indigenous tourism and human rights as inspired by the Larrakia Declaration.”
The inaugural PAITC was held in Darwin, Australia in 2012 and was responsible for publicising the Larrakia Declaration, a tourism industry response to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Larrakia Declaration was endorsed by PATA and the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
“We are naturally excited that Indigenous tourism will be delivering the PAITC 2015 and with the close support of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and other tourism industry partners,” said WINTA Chairman Ben Sherman.
“The delivery of the conference in Vancouver is a welcomed opportunity to provide international focus on Aboriginal tourism in Canada,” added AtBC Chairperson Brenda Baptiste.
PAITC 2015 will focus on the positive implementation of the principles of Indigenous rights set forth in the Larrakia Declaration, and is expected to bring together an impressive line-up of Indigenous, State, tourism industry and civil service leaders with an interest in Indigenous tourism.
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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 43 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. Visitwww.PATA.org.
About WINTA
WINTA is an Indigenous-led global network of Indigenous and non-Indigenous interests that seek to give practical expression to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples through tourism.
WINTA collaborates with Indigenous communities, tourism industry entities, states, and NGOs which have an interest in addressing the aspirations of Indigenous peoples seeking empowerment through tourism and producing mutually beneficial outcomes.
WINTA undertakes tourism policy research, organizes tourism conferences and workshops, and provides strategic destination consulting services.
About AtBC
AtBC is a not for profit membership-based organization that is committed to growing and promoting a sustainable, culturally rich Aboriginal tourism industry.
AtBC works closely with tourism, business, education and government organizations to help B.C.’s Aboriginal tourism businesses offer quality experiences and actively promotes these experiences to visitors and local residents.
AtBC is a one-stop resource for First Nations entrepreneurs and communities in British Columbia who are operating or looking to start a tourism business.
Media Contact:
PATA
Paul Pruangkarn
Manager – Communications
Bangkok, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 658 2000
E-mail: Communications@PATA.org
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