AirAsia Group CEO set to speak at next PATA Youth Symposium

MACOA
MACOA
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AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes is set to speak at the forthcoming PATA Youth Symposium in Macao SAR, hosted by the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT).

Organised by the Association’s Human Capital Development Committee, the Symposium takes place on Wednesday, September 13 with the theme of Enabling Travel and Managing a Complex Future’.

Dr. Mario Hardy, PATA CEO said, “The PATA Youth Symposium is a cornerstone of our commitment to the next generation of young tourism professionals. We are honoured that Tony Fernandes has agreed to address tomorrow’s tourism industry leaders. The Association has placed special focus upon the Young Tourism Professional this year and the PATA Youth Symposium highlights our continued dedication to enhancing the knowledge and skills of students seeking careers in travel and tourism.”

AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes said, “These are exciting times for air travel in Asia. The low-cost revolution has made flying affordable and we are seeing more and more people fly for the first time. This creates opportunities as well as challenges for the region’s travel and tourism industry. What role will automation play? How do we ensure sustainable development of tourism? What are the constraints we will face as traffic grows? Are there enough low-cost terminals to cater for the fastest growing aviation segment? The PATA Youth Symposium is a great forum to discuss these questions and more, and I look forward to hearing what students have to share on the future of travel in Asia.”

Dr Fanny Vong, President of IFT, said, “As a long-term member of PATA, IFT is excited to host the 2017 PATA Youth Symposium. It serves as a platform for students to learn from the experiences and success stories of industry entrepreneurs and professionals. It helps students to keep abreast of changing trends and practices, and it provides important guidance about career opportunities. The field visit to the Macao Museum will introduce the rich culture and history of the city, followed by a bus tour to learn about Macao’s tourism development and challenges.”

The Youth Symposium takes place on the first day of PATA Travel Mart 2017. The programme was developed with guidance from Dr. Chris Bottrill, PATA Vice Chairman and Dean, Faculty of Global and Community Studies at Capilano University.

Dr. Bottrill said, “We are looking forward to facilitating yet another dynamic PATA Youth Symposium in September. It features the topic of enabling tourism and managing a complex future with globally- renowned leaders set to share their insights. As always, we will integrate their knowledge with perspectives of our future tourism professionals through a range of interactive sessions and seek to answer some challenging questions facing our industry. We are honoured to run the symposium at the Institute for Tourism Studies in Macao and we are looking forward to an engaging day with participants from around the globe.”

In addition to Mr. Tony Fernandes, confirmed speakers at the Youth Symposium include Dr. Mario Hardy; Ms Rika Jean-François – Commissioner ITB Corporate Social Responsibility, Competence Centre Travel & Logistics, ITB Berlin; Dr. Chris Bottrill; Dr Fanny Vong and Ms JC Wong, PATA Young Tourism Professional Ambassador.

The symposium includes plenary talks on ‘Artificial Intelligence and Automation in the Tourism Industry: Is C3PO taking our jobs?’; ‘Where Does Responsible Travel Fit in our Future?’ and ‘Enabling Air Travel for All: How Air Asia has Become the World Leading Low Cost Carrier’. The event also features an informal chat with Tony Fernandes and interactive roundtable discussions on ‘What opportunities and challenges do you see in enabling greater volume of travel?’ and ‘What role do human’s play in managing a responsible industry in the future?’

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

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