PATA Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference and Mart 2011 (AT&RTCM2011)

February 7 - 11, 2011

The Fulbari Resort & Spa

Pokhara, Nepal

eNews

PATA AT&RTCM 2011 Daily Updates

 

Andrew Jones

Guardian

Sanctuary Resorts, Hong Kong

(speaker)

What do you think about the event overall?

The feedback I’ve received is that people have really enjoyed the event and found it worth their while to attend. Those who have booths here are getting value from it.

 

We hope people have come away with new learnings, particularly from our theme of ‘Social giveback: Doing well by doing good’. We need to let more people know about the good work going on out there.  Bruce (Poon Tip) obviously was very inspiring, also, there were some good examples of projects that are models for responsible and sustainable tourism. People learn from these exercises, and through PATA, how the Gold Awards create more exposure for such projects.

 

Deepak Gurung

CEO

Destiny Bhutan, Thimpu, Bhutan

(seller)

What are your expectations from the Adventure Travel Mart?

Well, I am looking forward to meeting the international buyers and doing more business. This is my first time attending this event. In the future, it would be nice to have more admin support in setting up our booths.

 

Sue Rudolph

Owner

Absolutely Amazing Travel, USA

(buyer)

Is this your first time at a PATA Adventure Travel Mart?

Yes it is, and I think the Mart is excellent. There is a very good quality of sellers. I know a lot more about Nepal than I did. The Mart has met my expectations and I hope to increase business.

 

 

 

Ian Hall

Architect

Arkitrek, UK

(speaker)

How has the experience been for you and what did you think of the other speakers?

Any format that encourages a debate is what I like, and I would have looked forward to a Q&A after my presentation as I think that’s more interactive.

I was very impressed with John King; overall, I enjoyed hearing the other speakers. It’s always good to gather more case studies and hear people answer critical questions in the field of responsible tourism.

 

Paras Mani Gurung

Team leader

Sita, Kathmandu, Nepal

(seller)

What are your expectations from the Adventure Travel Mart?

I hope to get more business from Spain and Russia.

I must add here that I attended the ‘Baby Boomers’ session and enjoyed listening to the speakers there.

 

Mandip Singh Soin

Founder and managing director

Ibex Expeditions, New Delhi, India

(speaker)

What do you think about the PATA AT&RTCM overall?

I think it’s better than last year; the quality of buyers has improved. We need to breathe life into this event and keep rotating it within the Asian region. We hope to get this event to India for the next couple of years. People are excited that PATA is doing this yeoman service; passion-driven companies in this field need this push.

I think getting Bruce (Poon Tip) as keynote speaker has really been an ace up PATA’s sleeve.

 

Sanjay Razdan

Director

Razdan Holidays, New Delhi, India

(seller)

How did you find this Mart as compared to the earlier PATA Adventure Travel Marts you have attended?

The last Mart I attended was in 2001, again, in Nepal. The participation from buyers and sellers hasn’t been as much as it used to be. The sessions have been well organised; the buyers are punctual and are meeting their appointments, but the 15-minute slots are too short.

I attended most of the sessions, and I found the speakers were informative and well chosen. Bruce’s (Poon Tip) presentation was very inspiring.

 

Mircea Anitas

Manager

Sport Incentive Convention International (SICI), Paris, France

(buyer)

How do you find the Mart so far?

I think it’s fantastic; I’m very happy to be here. It’s a great opportunity to meet people in the business, I have some good appointments lined up.

 

 

 

Ramesh Luintel

Managing Director

Euro Asia, Kathmandu, Nepal

(seller)

 

Is this your first time at the Adventure Travel Mart?

Yes, it is. I hope to gain more business abroad through this event, since it will give me more contact with international buyers.

I also attended the session on ‘Youth Travel’; I thought the speakers there were quite interesting.

 

Sipoom Nakchudtree

The Americas Market Division

Tourism Authority of Thailand, Bangkok

(seller)

What are your impressions about the Mart?

It’s been good so far; there are some very active buyers who are meeting the target. We hope to get about 70% business.

 

 

 

Suman Pandey

President

Explore Himalaya, Kathmandu, Nepal

(seller)

How is this year’s event different from the Marts you have attended earlier?

I have been to many of the PATA Adventure Travel Marts, yes. The buyers are good, but they are not up to the level expected; there should have been a post-event audit between buyers and sellers, and more activities planned between them. Also, delegates should not be involved in the Mart.