PATA to focus on tourism resilience

In response to the recent increase in frequency of both natural and man-made disasters, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is inviting organizations to share their knowledge relating to tourism resilience on sustain.pata.org, the Association’s website devoted entirely to the dissemination of sustainable and socially-responsible tourism knowledge.

PATA has always been a champion for the responsible development of travel and tourism, to, from, and within the Asia Pacific region, and the protection of the region’s destinations, including local communities and the environment, are imperative to the organisation’s mission to develop a sustainable, responsible, and resilient Complete Visitor Economy in the Asia Pacific.

With the launch of sustain.pata.org earlier this year, the next phase of development is to increase content focusing on the vital issue of tourism resilience. Organisations are invited and encouraged to share their knowledge.

“For too long the travel and tourism industry has been focusing on crisis communications and how to respond to a disaster, however it is now vital for all organisations to place their attention on tourism resilience and preparedness. It is time now for destinations to be proactive, rather than reactive,” said PATA CEO Mario Hardy. “Severe disasters can have an immense impact not only the lives of the people affected but also on tourism and employment in the long term. The industry needs to play an important role in encouraging disaster risk management at all levels.”

The addition of tourism resilience content on the PATA sustainability website will be a useful, accessible, and powerful platform to provide the right tools for tourism organisations to mitigate and handle risk. With additional content, PATA hopes to address crisis operations and communications issues, safety and security issues, as well as provide additional knowledge through case studies and academic papers.

Through knowledge sharing, the Association hopes to further connect sustainability-minded organisations and provide support in developing sustainable, socially responsible, and risk resilient business practices. PATA’s vision is for the website is to be a “one-stop-shop” for all information related to sustainable and socially responsible tourism.

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