Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) was founded in the year 1951 as a non-profit corporation to stimulate interest in the Pacific region as a vacation land, and to develop, promote and facilitate travel to and among the many Pacific destinations.
The Association had 44 Founder Members. The Founder Lorrain Thurston, a leading newspaper publisher in Honolulu had an idea to organise all travel from the Occident to the Pacific area in a consistent, cohesive and systematic manner as to ensure maximum benefit from the existing opportunities and the creation of fresh opportunism through multimedia publicity.
PATA’s first conference was held in January 1952 in Honolulu and its headquarters were established in San Francisco, USA in 1953, PATA has its own Director for Europe who is based in London and works to promote traffic from the European markets into the Pacific region. PATA’s first Asian office was opened in Manila, Philippines in 1976.
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Aims and Objectives of Pate:
As a non-profit organisation PATA was set up with the objective of developing, promoting and facilitating travel to and within the Pacific area and South East Asian region.
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It primarily operates in the United States market which is the world’s biggest travel market. The organisation provides the meeting point for the people, involved in all aspects of the travel trade from a large number of countries.
It focuses attention on travel opportunities in member countries and builds up greater awareness and specific contacts among the travel trade in countries from where the tourists originate.
The underlying philosophy of PATA is that the entire travel industry must work together to develop an ever-increasing flow of pleasure travel from which each member will derive a fair share of the total business.
Activities of PATA:
PATA actives include assisting small and up-and-coming destinations to develop their infrastructure, providing expertise, and planning group travel schemes, destinations, hotels operations and discounts.
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It provides up-to-date information and practical and theoretical experience in the field of tourism. Through its Research, Development, Education and Marketing Councils, PATA serves as a central source, supporting its diverse membership in tactical marketing programmes for their destinations and products together with training and educational programmes for human resource development.
The annual conferences of the PATA and its workshops provide greater scope to its members to share their ideas and exchange views about promotion of tourism in their respective regions.
PATA staffs are experts in their respective fields of marketing and research, and regularly exchange with others, information on latest techniques and practice in their respective areas. All members benefit directly or indirectly from the continuing programmes of PATA, which include travel research, marketing, training programmes, and the development of visitor plants and services.
The PATA Publication:
Promotion occupies a major portion of PATA’s total effort. The PATA publication, Pacific Travel News, is relied upon by wholesale and retail travel agents as an important source of authoritative material on the Pacific. PATA has produced the Pacific Area Destination
Handbook which compiles in a single volume all the data that is required for the planning and sale of travel and is the world’s most authoritative and comprehensive handbook on 31 Pacific destinations.
PATA also publishes its Hotel Directory and Travel Guide listing the hotels, resorts and travel services in the Pacific area. PATA Membership; PATA has the following nine categories of membership:
(i) Active Government,
(ii) Associate Government
(iii) Active Carrier
(iv) Associate Carrier
(v) Active Industry
(vi) Allied
(vii) Affiliated Allied (vim) Associate
(ix) Sustaining
(i) Active Government Members:
Consist of the primary official organisation designated by the government of any nation, territory, or political division, wholly or partly in the Pacific area.
(ii) Associate Government Members:
Associate Government Members consist of any organisation charged with the responsibility of the domestic or overseas promotion of tourism as designated by the government of any nation, territory, or political division either situated outside the Pacific area, or situated within the Pacific area but not being the primary official organisation designated for the overseas promotion of travel, or not meeting other criteria as might be required for Active government membership.
(iii) Active Carrier Members:
Active Carrier Members consist of any government recognised, registered or certified air or steamship line operating vehicles having individual passenger capacity in excess of twelve passengers and providing regular scheduled common carrier passenger service to and within the Pacific area.
(iv) Associate Carrier Members:
Associate Carrier Members consist of any government recognised passenger carrier operation vehicles (a) each having a passenger capacity of twelve or fewer passengers and providing regular scheduled common carriage passenger service of having a passenger capacity in excess of twelve passengers but not providing passenger service on the regular common carriage basis as prescribed for Active carrier members.
(v) Active Industry Members:
Active Industry Members consist of hotel organisations having management authority as distinguished form mere sales, advertising or reservations direction, over one or more hotels with a total of one thousand or more guest rooms in one or more Pacific areas, tour operator organisations excluding air or ship transportation.
(vi) Allied Members:
Allied Members consist of travel agencies, tour operators, hotel representatives and firms serving as general agents or representing various segments of the Pacific travel industry.
(vii) Affiliated Allied Members:
Affiliated Allied Members consist of branch offices of an allied member travel agency or tour operator.
(viii) Associate Members:
Associate Members consist of individual operating organisations and firms such as communication media, media representatives, advertising, public relations and research agencies having definite interest in Pacific travel.
(ix) Sustaining Members:
Sustaining Members consist of those organisations, firms or individuals
Whose commercial or cultural interests, in the judgement of the Board of Directors, will?
Further contribute to the aims of the Association,
Administrations:
PATA control is vested in the Active government, carrier and industry members. The organisations qualifying for Active government or Active carrier membership have the right to membership. They require no sponsorship and are requested merely to provide the Board of Directors with certain pertinent information.
Membership in all other categories is at the discretion of the Board of Directors, and requires not only that the organisation comply with certain guidelines for eligibility but also that certain categories of PATA members must sponsor the new applicant and vouch for its stability and professionalism.
Secretariat:
The PATA Secretariat located in San Francisco, USA, is the operational hub that links PATA members in all divisions, coordinating PATA’s policies plans, administration and finances, memberships and chapters, communications and planning for PATA’s Annual Conference.
The work of the Association is divided into three division. Asia Division with its office located in Singapore looks after Japan, Republic of Korea, Republic of China (Taiwan), Hong Kong, Macau, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Pacific Division with its office in New South Wales, Australia looks after Australia, New Zealand, the Islands of the South Pacific and Mic ronesia.
Americas/Europe Division with its office? in San Francisco looks after North and South America and Western Europe. This Division’s activities are primarily promotional and include varied member activities, chapter support PATA Travel Marts, international trade show participation, travel trade education, advertising, PATA merchandising and other revenue-generating programmes.
PATA Chapters:
The Chapter concept implemented in the year 1960 is unique with PATA among travel organisations. The primary purpose of a Chapter is to conduct continuing education programmes to keep PATA members abreast of the changes in Pacific travel. The Chapters also do considerable promotional work, and several times each year organise social events for the members. Specific objectives of the Chapters are as follows
(i) To bring together representatives of PATA members at regular intervals to develop a closer working relationship and a better understanding of travel matters as such that relate to the Pacific area.
(ii) To obtain uniformity and combined action by members in pursuing national and local policies within the framework of PATA.
(iii) To implement specific PATA objectives and projects.
(iv) To pass to appropriate government and official organisations such matters approved by PATA, and to obtain action there on as and when required.
(v) To process generally and to obtain opinions of members of the Chapters on any PATA requirement or objective.
(vi) To provide a forum which will enable the individual Chapter members to conduct their various assigned responsibilities for selling travel, and providing services to visitors to the Pacific in a more effective manner.
Categories of PATA chapters:
There are two types of Chapter viz., (i) Area Chapters, and (ii) Promotional Chapter.
(i) Area Chapters:
Area Chapters were conceived as of the 8th Annual PATA Conference (1959) by a number of Allied and Associate Members, as a means of keeping PATA members and their representatives in the Pacific better informed on happenings throughout the Pacific travel industry and on Association activities.
Some of these Chapter activities include programmes involving matters of facilitation, staff training, improving visitor plants and services, and promotions aimed at developing regional tourist traffic and other marketing activities.
(ii) Promotional Chapters:
Promotional Chapters were authorised by the 9th Annual PATA Conference (1960) as a means of furthering the promotion of visitors form priority market areas to Pacific destinations.
Activities of these Chapters are all designed to increase the sale of travel to the Pacific area and include regular meetings of the PATA membership/travel trade with programmes on various Pacific destinations, providing up-to-date information on various new developments, facilities, services, tours, educational seminars for travel trade, sales personnel and cooperation with PATA in the overall marketing programme, promotions and other PATA activities.
Popularity of PATA chapters:
The Chapters are, however, not the branch offices of PATA. They are rather like local civic clubs working for the benefit of their respective communities.
A Chapter is composed of the highest level of executives representing the local tourism industry who volunteer their services and their expertise to develop a constantly expanding overall business.
Presently PATA has 80 Chapters in five continents with more than 17000 members in 50 countries and territories. Two to three Chapters are organised yearly to help more and more people keep abreast of the changes in Pacific travel.
Finances of the PATA Association:
The Administration and programmes of the Association are financed by way of membership dues and the marketing assessments paid by all members. The amount of dues, however, varies with the category of membership. The marketing assessments of governments and carriers are calculated in accordance with a Stanford Research Institute formula.
This formula takes into account, among other things, the growth in visitor arrivals and expenditures at member areas, and the growth in traffic volume of carrier members. The association’s financial position is reviewed by the Board of Directors at their monthly meetings, and an annual audit is made by an outside accounting agency.
In addition to membership dues and the marketing assessment amounts, there are additional revenues which come from Allied and Associate Members, a portion of which is applied to various marketing programmes.
Functions of PATA:
The Pacific Asia Travel Association performs a variety of functions. These include:
(i) Pacific Travel Conference and Workshop: During the first four months of each year, PATA sponsors and organizes a conference of its members with the objectives of reviewing the progress, exchanging ideas and planning for future programmes.
(ii) These meetings are held at different areas. The annual conferences attar a large number of delegates from all over the world. The conference also serves as a unique promotional tool for the host government providing an opportunity to the travel industry from abroad to get a sample of what it has to offer in terms of tourist attractions and future tourism plans to the foreign visitor.
(ii) Marketing:
A long-range marketing programme coordinates all the promotional functions of PATA for a maximum impact in the consumer market and also among sales agents. The marketing programme includes: advertising, publicity and promotion.
An extensive advertising programme schedule is carried in leading national magazines of North America with a view to increase interest in the Pacific region as a major travel area. The association prepares and distributes a wide selection of selling aids and sales promotion materials to travel agents and tour operators throughout the world.
A strong trade advertising programme is directed towards travel agents in order to merchandise PATA’s consumer advertising and sales promotion efforts.
Weekly news releases, special feature stories and photographs are provided to the various newspapers, magazines and radio and television networks by the Association’s Pacific News Service. Members may use the Association’s materials, including photographs, for their own publicity purposes.
(iii) Research and Development:
The Association’s research programme is designed to provide it with the marketing information needed to formulate its own marketing programme as well as to provide its members with information which will assist them in designing their own programmes.
The Association organises research seminars, research presentations and technical assistance programmes for its members. Another important facet of the research programme includes the collection, analysis and dissemination of Pacific travel statistics
And an effort designed to constantly improve and standardise the tourism statistics of the Pacific region.
Programmes Provided By PATA:
1. PATA provides it members with an array of programmes and events created to promote the related region as he preferred international destination. These activities also aim to develop a sustainable future for the travel industry and to assist members with professional development in a number of fields.
2. Originally oriented towards sending visitors to the Pacific Asia region, PATA has grown to encompass the changing market place and now incorporates intraregional tourism within the PATA geographic boundaries.
3. The PATA Annual conference draws together the top decision makers in the region.
4. The PATA Trade Mart focuses on marketing opportunities by matching the buyers and sellers of the region’s tourism products.
5. PATA’s special-interest marketing seminars and marts are held regularly to help members target new business opportunities and learn the successful techniques for development.
6. PATA also keeps its members up-to-date on relevant industry trends via the strategic information centre, which provides members with timely research and market intelligence for business planning, product development and marketing.
7. PATA’s office of Environment and culture and the PATA Foundation co-ordinates programmes to preserve the region’s environmental, heritage and cultural resources. Through targeted marketing and promotional programmes, business networking opportunities, support and resources services. PATA provides a professional and personal growth.
8. PATA’s mission is to enhance the growth, value and quality of Pacific Asia travel and tourism for the benefit of its membership
9. PATA has long been an advocate of balancing growth with conservation measures.