BANGKOK, Thailand – Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (German International Cooperation Agency, (GIZ), on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), will provide the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) with a grant of up to 75,000 Euros to support the implementation of the sector project – Sustainable Development through Tourism Project in the Asia Pacific region.

PATA signed the agreement with GIZ, a German International Cooperation Agency, to help develop a sustainable future for the Asia Pacific visitor economy.

The primary aim of the project is to support the increased engagement of PATA in the promotion of sustainable development and inclusive green growth through tourism. This project will reinforce PATA’s efforts to encourage and engage the Asia Pacific visitor economy to adopt good practices in sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR).

“We are delighted that the German government has shown such confidence in PATA,” said Martin Craigs, PATA Chief Executive Officer. “This project will make it easier for tourism enterprises to develop and implement sustainable practices, to reduce their eco footprint, increase positive socio-economic impacts and contribute to the preservation and culture in Asia Pacific.”

This project will benefit PATA members by aggregating, enriching and disseminating sustainability and CSR good practice on PATAmPOWER, PATA’s Data as a Service platform.

The project vision is to create a global information, exchange and learning platform that will showcase how sustainability activities can drive business and contribute to the triple-bottom line.

“’The reason we have decided to support the sustainable development of tourism in Asia Pacific through PATA is that this more than 60 year-old organization offers, through its extensive network with both the public and private tourism sector, the best multiplication effect for the dissemination and promotion of sustainable tourism practices in Asia Pacific,” said Klaus Lengefeld, Sector Leader Tourism an Sustainable Development, GIZ.

Lengefeld further stated, “Since we do not have all the structures to support the implementation of our detailed objectives in Asia Pacific, we are grateful that PATA is offering us a unique platform for amplification. Since the region has the biggest and fastest growing visitor economy of the developing world, it is particularly challenging to achieve our goal, which is to minimize the impact of tourism growth on natural and cultural environments, whilst maximizing the contribution to sustainable and inclusive economic development.”

The project provides an opportunity for the industry to tap into tried and tested practices such as the over 220 practices implemented by Frangipani Hotel Langkawi Resort & Spa in Malaysia and the many other good practices developed throughout Asia Pacific and the rest of the world. This is a unique chance to propel the industry into a greener and more sustainable future.

PATA invites all stakeholders to engage by submitting good practices in sustainability and CSR at www.mPOWER.PATA.org/sustain or email [email protected] .