The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)’s PATA Travel Mart drew to an excellent conclusion on Thursday, 20th August, at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching in Sarawak, Malaysia.
Throughout the four-day event, which also included the PATA Youth Symposium and the PTM Knowledge Forum, industry professionals received vital insights on how global travel is adapting to current circumstances.
We now share several of these with you, our readers, in the hope that these can guide your thinking as the industry prepares to segue to 2027.
Consider crises a challenge rather than a hindrance
Since the Iran Conflict broke out at the end of February 2026, the global travel industry has been challenged by constrained airspace and the rising cost of fuel.
However, industry experts are seeing the pros of the matter: MICE, in particular, is making the shift to Southeast Asian venues given the current inaccessibility of key locations in the Gulf, as well as the significant organisational cost of mounting events in Europe and North America.
Indeed, PATA chief executive Noor Ahmad Hamid pointed out during the PTM press conference on Tuesday, 18th August, that member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) constitute a major untapped market for the industry in terms of both inbound and outbound travel.
Current circumstances also mean the industry is in a good position to promote smaller, lesser-known destinations, thus preventing or mitigating overtourism.
AI should be considered a tool rather than a cure-all for the industry
The fireside chat on artificial intelligence during the PTM Knowledge Forum, experts pointed out that only twelve percent of travel professionals would trust an AI agent to make independent travel decisions on their behalf.
As Booking.com’s head of public affairs in APAC Yang Li put it: "Efficiency gains are real, but there is still a major trust gap when allowing AI to do more than search.”
Indeed, while generative AI has democratised data analytics, the wider roll out of such technologies may take time due to ongoing resource constraints.
Never underestimate the power of secondary destinations
PATA hosting the PTM and its related activities may be construed as both tactical and timely.
On one hand, you have the opportunity to show off a country’s lesser-known destinations to the global travel sector, and this opens doors for growth.
At the same time, hosting major events in lesser-known destinations offers an alternative to popular but incredibly overcrowded locations.
Indeed, going the route of secondary destinations may be seen as a potentially effective way of managing overtourism.
Cross-border collaboration could be the ultimate industry game changer
Consider this insight from the cross-border collaboration panel at the PTM Knowledge Forum:a journey is never experienced as a series of fragmented transactions between airlines, hotels, and event venues; but more as a single continuous journey.
The primary differentiator is that the quality of that experience relies entirely on how seamlessly these sectors align behind the scenes.
For nations working together, streamlining visa processes, expanding direct airlift, and simplifying local navigation remains essential to unlocking true growth.
Also for relevant strategies to be effective, a macro-outlook needs to be adapted throughout the tourism ecosystem from tourism boards down to hoteliers and transportation providers.
