Rohantha to address annual PATA summit

Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Chairman Rohantha Athukorala will be part of a distinguished panel of speakers addressing the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) annual summit in Leshan, China
Athukorala, who had previously served as the head of National Portfolio Development for the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), will be speaking on the topics key trends in marketing a destination and best practices in the marketing of heritage sites.
“Leshan, with its rich culture and beautiful natural landscape, is the perfect setting to bring together such a diverse and exciting group of speakers who will share their thoughts on the responsible development of travel and tourism within the region.
“This is a great opportunity for members, non-members, media and partners to network, learn and discuss the challenges the industry will face with the rapid and vast growth of the tourism sector, especially in the Asia Pacific region,” PATA CEO Mario Hardy stated.
The keynote address for the summit will be delivered by United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Executive Secretary to the General Assembly and Executive Council, Xu Jing along the theme: ‘New Dimensions of Heritage and Culture Tourism’.
Meanwhile, Alibaba Group’s recently launched independent travel brand, Alitrip Deputy General Manager, David Chai will discuss his company’s strategy to gain market share within a booming Chinese travel market.
Other confirmed speakers at the conference include Dragontrail CEO and co-founder, George Cao, STR Global’s Asia Pacific Director, Jesper Palmqvist, Digital Jungle CEO, Dr. Mathew McDougall, Cambodia National Authority Angkor Tourism Management Head, Sok Sangvar, Accor Asia Pacific Sustainable Development and Communications head, Mallika Naguran and Beijing International Studies University (BISU) Assistant to the President, Prof. Tongqian (Tony) Zou.
The summit will also feature a Q&A discussion on the subject on ‘Marketing the Competitive Destination of the Future’ which will be moderated by BBC World News Presenter, Sharanjit Leyl.
Further topics to be examined at this year’s summit include case studies on Successful Management of Heritage Sites, The Dynamic of Today’s Global Traveler presented by Visa, Social Media in China, Travel Trends in Asia, and Innovation and Technology in the Travel Industry.
Leshan is a prefecture-level city located at the confluence of the Dadu and Min rivers in the Sichuan Province of China The city is located on the south-western fringe of the Red Basin in southern Sichuan, about 120 km (75 miles) from Chengdu. It is one of the most mature tourist destinations in Sichuan and China as a whole. The prefecture plays host to over 25 million visitors annually.