BANGKOK –Virtual PATA Travel Mart 2020 (Virtual PTM 2020), organised in conjunction with the Sichuan International Travel Expo (SITE) with the support of the Leshan Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau and powered by official virtual partner Dragon Trail Interactive, attracted over 1,000 delegates from 60 global destinations. The delegate numbers embraced 208 sellers from 199 organisations and 40 destinations, along with 152 buyers from 147 organisations and 39 source markets.

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) was also pleased to welcome 900 international students and young tourism professionals, as part of the PATA Youth Symposium which is designed as four-part series taking place from September 22-25.

“Asia Pacific will be the leading force of tourism’s global recovery from COVID-19, as both an inbound destination as well as a robust source market,” said PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy. “As some destinations have slowly restarted tourism through either domestic or regional travel, eventually international markets will follow. Not only is Virtual PATA Travel Mart 2020 the perfect occasion for organisations to start planning for recovery in 2021, it is also the perfect opportunity to discuss how we can build a stronger, more responsible and more sustainable industry post COVID-19.”

Virtual PTM 2020 officially opened on Wednesday, September 23 and will run until Sunday, September 27. The event offers two full business days with a possibility of up to 50 appointments across all time zones from September 24-25. There will also be two trade visitor days on September 26-27.

In addition to the business-to-business travel contracting, the event also includes two PTM Forums on “The Current State of Travel Media” and “The Impact of Health and Hygiene on Post COVID-19 Destination Competitiveness in the Asia Pacific”; quick fire presentations on “Future Travel on Destinations, Aviation, Hospitality and Industry”, and group chat sessions during the networking break on Innovation, Sustainability, Technology and Marketing. On Friday, September 25, Virtual PTM delegates can also join a special live stream of the opening ceremony of the Sichuan International Travel Expo (SITE). Furthermore, various games and giveaways allow delegates a chance to win travel giveaways and prizes from sponsors and partners.

Trade visitor registration is still available at https://www.pata.org/register.