Chiang Rai is now PATA’s 39th chapter

CHIANG RAI, 9 August 2011 – Chiang Rai’s travel industry representatives decided, Saturday, to establish a Pacific Asia Travel Association chapter, only the second in Thailand after the PATA chapter in Bangkok.

Around 16 representatives covering most of PATA’s membership categories such as government, airlines, hotels, travel companies and media were present at the meeting held at the Le Meridien Hotel.

Led by Chiang Rai Provincial Office of Tourism and Sports director, Channarong Suhongsa, the decision to establish a chapter was unanimous. Chiang Rai will become PATA’s 39th worldwide chapter. Read more

PATA’s haste might make waste

BANGKOK, 8 August 2011 – In a surprise move, the Bangkok-based Pacific Asia Travel Association, last week, announced that it would outsource its most important core function — providing membership with industry research, data and intelligence.

Negotiations are under way to finalise the terms of the contract under which Mr John Koldowski, currently the Head of the Office of Strategy Management (OSM), will leave PATA in a few months to set up his company and provide the same services to PATA under an external arrangement.

The move has been packaged as part of a “new business model” for PATA, now undergoing some heavy-duty restructuring as part of the new “building the business” management philosophy. However, it is also being driven for cost reasons as PATA struggles to survive after years of losing both relevance and membership. Read more

PATA stacked like a pack of cards

BANGKOK, 4 August – At least three Pacific Asia Travel Association executives have been asked to either accept an outsource proposition, or have been made redundant in moves that surprised both PATA members and industry observers.

Deputy CEO and head of the office of strategic management, John Koldowski, was negotiating an exit settlement with interim CEO Bill Calderwood,Wednesday, that will lead to the shut down of the strategic management office in late September.

Earlier in the week, the association announced it was outsourcing most of its research projects to Mr Koldowski, who has worked for PATA for 15 years. Read more

PATA outsources strategic centre

BANGKOK 2 August 2011 — Strategic intelligence, a core service of the Pacific Asia Travel Association, will be outsourced this September with the current deputy CEO John Koldowski heading a new independent business unit.

Rumours were rife yesterday that Mr Koldowski, who has worked for PATA for 15 years, had submitted his resignation, an assertion that he denied yesterday evening stating he was committed as ever to the association.

However, he confirmed the strategic intelligence unit would be outsourced and that he would head the team contracted to provide data content for PATA. Read more

CEO search on home stretch

BANGKOK, 28 July 2011 – Pacific Asia Travel Association will have identified a new CEO by this September in time to announce the appointment at its board meeting in New Delhi during the annual PATA Travel Mart.

Commenting on the association’s search for senior executives, interim CEO Bill Calderwood told TTR Weekly, Tuesday, the CEO appointment should ideally be announced during the September board meeting on the sidelines of the PATA Travel Mart.

Mr Calderwood is due to complete his term as interim CEO in November and hints he wants to conclude a speedy handover well before that deadline. Read more

PATA fills vacancies with local expatriates

BANGKOK, 21 July 2011 – The Pacific Asia Travel Association announced, Thursday, the appointment of Stu Lloyd as senior director – marketing and membership services and Reid Ridgway as regional director – Asia.

The two new positions, based at PATA’s head office in Bangkok, will play a vital role in PATA’s mission to build  business for  members and recover lost ground for an association that has less than 800 paid members.

Mr Lloyd will be responsible for PATA’s regional directors and for the association’s membership development and marketing activities. Read more

When RICHI gets poorer

BANGKOK, 14 July 2011 – A much touted seminar on the RICHI markets, earlier this week, failed to deliver the advertised content when two out of four presentations dropped off the programme at the last minute.

Experts from China and Indonesia’s travel markets who were scheduled to give presentations to 50 or so paying delegates failed to attend. It left paid delegates with just two presentations from Russia and India.

RICHI is an acronym for four markets – Russia, India, China and Indonesia. They are considered vital markets for the future of Thailand’s tourism industry.

So much so, the event was promoted as a must-attend seminar to understand the demographics of the four markets. The initiative gained the support of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Read more

Calderwood extends PATA stay

BANGKOK, 7  July 2011 – In an exclusive interview with Travel Impact Newswire editor, Imtiaz Muqbil, Pacific Asia Travel Association interim CEO, Bill Calderwood, confirmed Thursday he will stay  for another two months after his six-month stint ends in September.

Mr Calderwood conceded in the interview (see full report on Travel Impact Newswire) that a full-time CEO would not be in place before the World Travel Market in London, this November. Applications for the CEO post closed 30 June.   The temporary CEO has now extended his term to November.

The final decision on an appointment will be made between the head hunting firm, PATA chairman Hiran Cooray, vice chairman Joao Manuel Costa Antunes and Mr Calderwood.

Read more

PATA’s data confirms healthy April

BANGKOK, 1 July 2011 – Pacific Asia Travel Association released preliminary results of international visitor arrivals into Asia/Pacific, Wednesday, showing a year-on-year increase of 6.8%, generating an additional 1.8 million arrivals during April.

However, the results were based on comparisons with an underperforming April, 2010, that was hit by airline cancellations after volcanic ash closed European airports to traffic.

For the first four months of this year, international visitor arrivals to Asia/Pacific grew by 5.4% year-on-year adding more than 5.5 million arrivals to the collective inbound count. This was accomplished despite a weak Japanese outbound market in the aftermath of the March tsunami. Read more

Duffell heads BKK IT firm

BANGKOK, 27 June 2011 – Former Pacific Asia Travel Association CEO, Greg Duffell, has been appointed managing director of Travox Company, a Thailand specialist software developer for internet booking engines in the travel industry.

Mr Duffell left the association, earlier this year, after working out a six-month resignation just halfway through a two-year employment contract with the association.

Heading the Bangkok-based company, he will be responsible for a planned expansion in Asia for a product that is currently in use in Thailand with around 80 travel agents and white labeled as Galileo Direct for Travelport users.

Read more

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