The Pacific Asia Travel Association Annual Summit 2026 (PAS 2026), held from May 11–13 in Gyeongju and Pohang, Republic of Korea, brought together more than 550 delegates from over 35 destinations, reinforcing the event’s status as one of Asia Pacific’s leading travel trade gatherings. Hosted under the theme “Navigating Towards a Resilient Future”, the summit placed strong emphasis on tourism resilience, sustainability, destination marketing, digital transformation, and future workforce development.
Korea Showcases Its Growing Importance as a MICE and Tourism Hub
Co-hosted by Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, the cities of Gyeongju and Pohang, and the Gyeongsangbuk-do Culture and Tourism Organization, the summit highlighted Korea’s ambitions to strengthen its position as a major tourism and MICE destination in Asia Pacific.
Delegates experienced curated destination activities across the two cities, including cultural workshops, wellness experiences, gala events, and post-event technical tours featuring heritage attractions such as Bulguksa Temple, Seokguram Grotto, and the Space Walk attraction in Pohang.
PATA Marks 75 Years of Tourism Leadership
A major milestone during PAS 2026 was the celebration of PATA’s 75th anniversary. Founded in 1951, the association used the summit to reflect on its legacy in shaping Asia Pacific tourism while also outlining its future priorities. Interactive exhibitions, historical showcases, quizzes, and recognition ceremonies formed part of the anniversary celebrations throughout the summit.
PATA CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid highlighted the association’s ongoing commitment to delivering value through knowledge-sharing, networking, and industry collaboration while stressing the importance of talent development and adaptability in a rapidly evolving tourism landscape.
Industry Leaders Address Tourism’s Key Challenges and Opportunities
The summit programme featured more than 60 speakers and panellists representing leading organisations including UN Tourism, WTTC, GSTC, Amadeus, AirAsia MOVE, Mastercard Economics Institute, Tripadvisor, Booking.com, MMGY Global, and Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Conference discussions focused on several pressing issues impacting the global travel industry, including economic uncertainty, destination resilience, smart tourism, digital transformation, tourism governance, ASEAN tourism strategy, China’s inbound and outbound tourism trends, and the future of destination marketing.
The summit also hosted the PATA Youth Symposium, Industry and Education Roundtables, and the Policy Forum, creating platforms for collaboration between governments, academia, tourism boards, and private sector stakeholders.
New Leadership Team Announced at PATA AGM
During the Annual General Meeting, PATA announced its new leadership line-up for the coming term. Henry Oh, Chairman of Global Tours Ltd., was elected as the new Chair of PATA, while Ben Montgomery, Corporate Ambassador of Centara Hotels & Resorts, was appointed Vice Chair.
The association also ratified new Executive Board members from organisations including Amadeus, DASTA Thailand, JTB Tourism Research & Consulting, and Ark Travel Express. The appointments signal PATA’s continued focus on strengthening collaboration across tourism sectors and destinations in Asia Pacific.
Strategic Partnerships Highlight Sustainability and Wellness Priorities
Several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) signed during the summit reflected PATA’s increasing emphasis on sustainability, wellness, gastronomy tourism, and regional cooperation.
One of the key agreements was signed with the China Chamber of Tourism, establishing a framework for collaboration on sustainable tourism development, rural revitalisation, global marketing initiatives, training programmes, and tourism research.
Another partnership with Filtrum Inc. highlighted growing concerns around microplastic contamination in drinking water and traveller wellness. The collaboration aims to promote awareness, advocacy, and knowledge-sharing related to safe drinking water and sustainability within the tourism sector.
PATA also signed an agreement with TOP25 Restaurants to strengthen gastronomy tourism initiatives across Asia Pacific. The partnership seeks to enhance destination visibility, culinary tourism promotion, and traveller experiences through AI-powered restaurant rankings and gastronomy-focused collaborations.
Tourism Leaders and Industry Veterans Honoured
PAS 2026 additionally recognised distinguished tourism leaders and long-standing contributors to the association through the PATA Honours Awards.
SanJeet of DDP Publications and Suman Pandey of Explore Himalaya Travel & Adventure received PATA Life Memberships in recognition of their contributions to tourism development and support for the association over many years.
Awards of Merit were presented to Ben Montgomery and Judy Torres of the Marianas Visitors Authority, while Kornchalee Tantimongkonsakul received the PATA Chairman’s Award for her dedicated service to the association.
Skills Development and Future Readiness Take Centre Stage
As part of its long-term industry development strategy, PATA also unveiled its new Microcredentials Programme during the summit. The initiative is designed to provide tourism professionals with accessible learning pathways focused on digital transformation, sustainability, and emerging technologies.
The programme reflects growing industry demand for upskilling and workforce adaptability as travel businesses navigate changing consumer expectations, technological disruption, and sustainability challenges.
A Forward-Looking Agenda for Asia Pacific Tourism
PAS 2026 reinforced PATA’s role as a platform for industry collaboration, policy dialogue, and future-focused tourism development across Asia Pacific. With resilience, sustainability, wellness, and innovation emerging as recurring themes throughout the summit, the event highlighted the sector’s growing focus on building a more adaptive and responsible tourism ecosystem for the years ahead.
