Signing of an important agreement between World Centre of Excellence for Destinations and Pacific Asia Travel Association

The World Centre of Excellence for Destinations (CED) announced today the signing of an important agreement with the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).

A Memorandum of Understanding was brought into effect today after being signed by Greg Duffell, chief executive officer of PATA, and André Vallerand, president of the CED, in the presence of the secretary general of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Taleb Rifai.

Mr. Duffell considers the partnership, as exemplified by this agreement, to be extremely significant in the future development of destinations across the Asia Pacific region. “Not only will we be able to develop and provide practical tools for use by our industry as it grows, we will be able to do so at a level that recognizes and works towards real sustainability while maintaining a sharp competitive edge,” said Mr. Duffell.

Mr. Vallerand is also very pleased with the signing of this partnership as it registers perfectly with the development plan of the CED mission, which is to contribute to bring destinations around the world towards excellence. “SMED offers the assessed destinations concrete and feasible recommendations that will allow them to reach their targets of sustainable development, to develop their competitiveness, to improve the quality of the experience given to tourists, and to reinforce their geographical character, such as their culture, environment, heritage, and the well-being of their residents,” explained Mr. Vallerand.

Based in Montréal, Québec, Canada, the CED has signed partnership agreements with Canada Economic Development for the Quebec regions, the Ministère du Tourisme du Québec and the Ministère des Affaires Municipales et des Régions du Québec.

ABOUT THE CED

With its headquarters located in Montréal, the CED began operations in February 2007. The CED is a non-profit organization dedicated to the research and creation of tools to support the development of sustainable tourism for destinations around the world. The CED was created with the support of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the National Geographic Society. For further information, please visit the CED website at: www.ced.travel .

ABOUT PATA

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a membership association acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of the Asia Pacific travel and tourism industry. In partnership with private and public sector members, The PATA enhances the sustainable growth, value, and quality of travel and tourism to, from, and within the region.

The PATA is a not-for-profit organization that provides leadership and counsel on an individual and collective basis to over 80 government, state, and city tourism bodies; nearly 50 international airlines, airports, and cruise lines and many hundreds of travel industry companies across the Asia Pacific region and beyond. Thousands of travel professionals belong to nearly 40 PATA chapters worldwide, and participate in a wide range of PATA and industry events. The PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre (SIC) offers unrivalled data and insights including: Asia Pacific inbound and outbound statistics, analyses and forecasts, and in-depth reports on strategic tourism markets. For more information, please visit: www.PATA.org .