Highlights from PATA Travel Mart 2025: Dynamic Networking, Forum Key Insights, and Interactive Activities
From August 26 to 28, PATA welcomed over 1,000 stakeholders of the Asia Pacific tourism in Bangkok, Thailand, for the PATA Travel Mart 2025 (PTM 2025). More than 400 exhibitors from 225 organisations across 30 destinations and 225 buyers from 218 organisations across 41 source markets arrived at the event from all over the world, with over half joining PTM for the very first time!
Once again marked by the quality of connections and exchanges that took place, PTM 2025 continued to foster meaningful business relationships, strengthen the existing bond between tourism leaders, and encourage the co-creation of solutions to industry challenges. Check out photos from the mart on PATA TV Flickr.
At the mart, PATA made two key announcements:
75th Anniversary Celebration Campaign
PATA CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid soft-launched the Association’s 75th Anniversary year-long celebration!
A special webpage featuring a digitised collection of historical photos selected from the Association’s archives has also been launched under the title “Lost in Time, Found by You: Your Memories Complete the Picture”. All interested parties are invited to share any information that could help identify the photos.
An Invitation to PTM 2026 in Sarawak, Malaysia
“Sarawak is not just ready to host you. We are ready to welcome and captivate you,” said Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor, CEO, Sarawak Tourism Board.
From a core rooted deep in sustainability and cultural pride to 140 million years old rainforest and twin UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Sarawak stands ready to host PATA Travel Mart 2026 and showcase the destination’s unique richness to the world.
On August 26, the PATA Knowledge Forum 2025 at PTM 2025 convened industry experts and professionals from various sectors to share their perspectives and knowledge under the theme “Designing Meaningful Tourism for a Changing World.”
Highlights from PATA Knowledge Forum 2025
Peter Semone, Chair, PATA
PATA Chair Opening Remarks
Under the theme, “Designing Meaningful Tourism for a Changing World,” the forum reflects both the challenges and opportunities facing our industry in an evolving global landscape.
These sessions are designed to provide actionable insights and stimulate meaningful dialogue, helping the industry navigate change and seize new opportunities.
Phattra Jungpol, B2B Partnership Director - APAC, Holafly Limited
Powering Seamless Journeys: eSIMs and the Future of Connected Travel
eSIM technology is rapidly becoming a travel essential, with over 268 million travel SIM and eSIM users projected by 2028. The Asia Pacific market alone is expected to generate over 23% of global eSIM revenue by 2025, as most new smartphones will support the technology.
eSIMs provide reliable internet access, meeting the needs of 81% of travellers who say connectivity is essential. They are also cost-effective, with 85% considering them cheaper than traditional roaming services, and nine out of ten travellers willing to use eSIMs if offered the option.
Moreover, eSIMs are an eco-friendly alternative to plastic SIMs, requiring no logistics and being fully digital.
Frank Cancelloni, Group CEO, Jim Thompson
Opening Keynote: Beyond Silk, Beyond Thailand – Jim Thompson’s Journey in Redefining Thai Soft Power
As an Asian-originated, heritage brand that has become global, Jim Thompson is known for embracing contemporary while maintaining its unique a touch of Thai-ness.
It became a lifestyle brand by making the iconic Jim Thompson House a heritage and creative quarter, developing an ‘ecosystem’ and one-day itinerary around the house that uplift various elements of Thai soft power such as wellness, food, heritage, retail, and nightlife.
Its journey to become a global brand intertwines deeply with aligning its products with international audiences, which was done by leveraging the worldwide promotion of the White Lotus.
1st Photo: Xiaodong Ji, Chairman, China Chamber of Tourism; 2nd Photo (L/R): Jason Wang, COO, GTEF, and Executive Director, Global Tourism Economy Research Centre; and Xiaolong Yang, Counsellor, (Cultural Affairs), Embassy of the PRC in the Kingdom of Thailand.
Capturing the Imagination of Chinese Travellers: Thailand’s Path to Excellence
Gen Z travellers now represent over 50% of Chinese outbound travellers. This sharp rise has led to new travel behaviours and preferences: greater reliance on social media, personalised experiences, and independent travel rather than group tours. To attract this segment, destinations and businesses must ensure resources are accessible online, leveraging platforms like Xiaohongshu (Rednote), Chinese booking platforms, and digital payment systems to create a seamless ecosystem.
Efforts in establishing precaution measures in accommodations, local transportations, dining outlets, certifications, pricing transparency, and a system to report issues instantly is also crucial to convincing Chinese travellers of a destination’s safety.
Mayur Patel, Head of Asia, OAG; and Thomas Pellegrin, Asia Pacific Aviation Leader, Deloitte
Aviation Outlook + Aviation Connectivity in 2025: Observations from the Post-Pandemic Recovery
Regional aviation recovery remains strong, though reduced China–US traffic continues to weigh on growth. From 2019 to 2025, Asia Pacific is the only region with a net decline in connectivity, having lost 228 airport pairs. Northeast Asia recorded the steepest decline, followed closely by Southeast Asia.
On the other hand, Central and South Asia are booming, with Uzbekistan and India driving growth. India also leads domestic expansion through new portals and city access, followed by China, while Indonesia lost the most domestic routes globally.
LCCs are growing but remain just one-third of their pre-pandemic size.
L/R: Mike Stewart, Regional General Manager Southeast Asia, Intrepid; Yeji Cho, Korea Tourism Organization; Aung Zwe Wint
Assistant Advisor, PATA Bangkok University Student Chapter; Thet Hnin Ko Ko (Alice), Hospitality Management Student, Dusit Thani College
Voices of the Future: Next-Gen Perspectives on Tourism’s Evolving Workforce
For today’s youth, flexibility, work-life balance, and passion outweigh salary as the main career drivers. Organisations that invest in personal development and align with employees’ values are best placed to retain Gen Z talent.
Gen Z panellists emphasised that technology—such as real-time translation—is not about driving entirely new experiences, but about enhancing travellers’ journeys.
They also highlighted gaps in current systems for solo travellers, pointing to issues around safety and limited offers as key challenges.
Chiranan Kunpalin, Senior Client Partnerships Lead, Google, Thailand
The AI Horizon: Redefining Travel in the Age of Intelligent Experiences
Google forecasts 2.4 billion trips by 2040, with travellers seeking personalised experiences, new motivations for travel, and splurging on moments that matter. Data also shows that generic searches on Google are growing faster than branded ones (8:2). Top use cases for AI in trip planning include asking questions about travel plans, finding inspiration, locating places, checking reviews, and receiving personalised recommendations. Notably, people are asking longer, more nuanced questions—two to three times the length of traditional searches. To stay ahead, businesses must demonstrate values that resonate with travellers, deliver hyper-relevant multimodal content, strengthen SEO, and understand the role of their platforms.
Emerging AI trends—multimodal search, AI agents, assistive tools, seamless experiences, and security enhancement—are reshaping the travel value chain, with growth hinging on how destinations harness intelligence.
L/R: Peter Semone, Chair, PATA; Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, Director-General, DASTA; Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt, Executive Director, Meaningful Tourism Center; and Alex Rayner, Executive Board Member, PATA.
Towards a Meaningful Tourism Economy
Meaningful tourism is a paradigm that provides tools to ensure all stakeholders gain both objective benefits and subjective satisfaction. It calls for a more sophisticated way of measuring tourism—revitalising the concept of “sustainability” by emphasising quality over quantity, and shifting focus away from price and sheer visitor numbers.
Governments are urged to rethink how tourism is measured, prioritising destination management solutions over marketing to foster tourism that can be effectively managed and sustained.
A meaningful tourism economy also involves organisations helping to address management challenges, creating stronger connections between local communities and the industry, and ensuring benefits and coexistence for both sides.
L/R: Jane Park, Assistant Manager - F&B Revenue Management & Operations, Hotel ICON & 2024 PATA FOF; Parth Patnaik, Membership Manager - India & Asia, IGLTA; Yang Li, Head of Public Affairs, APAC, Booking.com; Puripan Bunnag, Senior Vice President, TCEB; and Roni Weiss, Executive Director, Travel Unity (recording).
Inclusive Travel - Building Welcoming Journeys for All
According to Booking.com, 41% of LGBTQ+ travellers say harassment would lead them to cancel a trip. Their perceptions of safety are often shaped by comparisons with their home country rather than general safety levels. Key factors influencing destination choice include laws, hospitality, and overall societal acceptance. NTOs and tourism boards, in collaboration with the private sector, play a critical role in ensuring these elements are reliable and visible to build trust with LGBTQ+ travellers.
Initiatives like Travel Proud, launched by Booking.com, have been designed to support safe travel experiences for LGBTQ+ travellers. Technology also plays a key role, with features such as filters and AI helping travellers narrow down suitable options.
L/R: Cindy Lui, Vice President of Resort sales, MGM; Mark Halberstein, CEO, Simplenight; John Williams, Vice President - Asia, Advertising Sales, BBC Studios Asia; and Frederic Vanhoutte, President, Eventiz.
Connected Journeys: Reimagining the Travel Experience in a Digital-First World
Travellers’ expectations have been shaped by digital experiences in daily life and the rise of “me culture”: personalised, fast, controllable, and frictionless. A truly connected journey is one where different elements of travel connect seamlessly, using technology to ensure that travellers’ preferences are met. Technology also supports emotional connections with customers, as information collected and analysed allows organisations to better serve them and make them feel cared for.
To achieve this, it is crucial that organisations establish numerous touchpoints and engage travellers on their preferred platforms, from physical kiosks to advertising channels. Organisations must also utilise human-centric storytelling in their promotions to create genuine connections, build trust and comfort through transparency, and provide travellers with control over their privacy and information.
More Highlights at PTM 2025
PATA Youth Symposium
With the focus to impart career-readiness onto the next generation of tourism professionals, the symposium was packed with insightful discussions, hands-on workshops, and an exchange of perspectives between young professionals and industry experts!
Hosted by the International College for Sustainability Studies, Srinakharinwirot University and in collaboration with Bangkok University International, the symposium welcomed over 100 delegates for a day of bridging the gap between academia and industry.
Check out photos and learn more about the PATA Youth Programme.
PATA Power of Networking
Over 70 PATA Life Members, Executive and Board members, special guests, and friends came together at PATA Power of Networking to catch up, spark lively conversations, and make new memories!
The evening also shone a spotlight on the stars of the moment, recognising winners of the PATA Chapter Awards, Student Chapter Awards, and Face of the Future 2025 for their outstanding achievements.
PATA Gold Awards 2025 hosted by Macao Government Tourism Office
The PATA Gold Awards 2025 Gala Dinner brought together over 400 attendees, including winners, special guests, buyers, sellers, media, and PTM delegates for a joyful celebration that honoured exceptional achievements in Marketing, Sustainability, and Social Responsibility.
Heartfelt thanks to the Macao Government Tourism Office for hosting this award programme for the 30th year!
Check out photos, the winners’ e-booklet, and the webpage for more information about this year’s winners.
Welcome Reception hosted by Tourism Authority of Thailand
Dazzling performances, delicious delicacy from different regions of Thailand, and a warm gathering of the PATA Community — all at the PTM 2025 Welcome Reception.
See more photos here!
Activities at PATA Booth
It was a delight to welcome delegates to the PATA Booth! From snapping photos and trying your luck with the Lucky Draw, to helping us piece together PATA’s history and playing with vintage lantern slides that offered a glimpse into PATA’s past, the booth was full of fun, memorable moments.
PATA Travel Mart 2025 was proudly supported by Official Airline Partner, Thai Airways; Welcome Reception Sponsor, Tourism Authority of Thailand; PTM Coffee Break & Knowledge Forum Lunch Sponsor, Sarawak Tourism Board; Gold Awards Gala Dinner Sponsor, Macao Government Tourism Office; PATA Knowledge Forum Sponsor, Holafly Limited; PTM Strategic Sponsor, China National Tourist Office in Bangkok; Official Online Hotel Booking, HotelPlanner; Event Tech Partners, Cvent and Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau; Supporting Partners, RX Global and Trends; Sponsor, Candela Technology AB; and Official Publication of PTM Daily, TTG Asia Media.
PATA Lucky Draw Sponsors include, Cosi Samui Chaweng Beach; Centara Life Phu Pano Resort Krabi; Centara Grand at Central Plaza Ladprao; Spring Airlines; Hainan Airlines; China Southern Airlines, Loong Air; Rembrandt Hotel; MGM COTAI; The Slate Phuket; Gangneung Tourism Development Corporation; Aseer Region Development Authority; iSanook Hotels & Resorts, SureStay by Best Western Iconic Ari-Jatujak; The Sanctuary Resort Pattaya, BW Signature Collection; Stargazer; MGTO; and The Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television, and Sports of Hainan Province.
Media partners supporting the event included ftn News, Travel and Tour World, Travel Daily Media, TravelDailyNews Asia-Pacific, Travelindex Group, Travel Press, Travel Vision, Travel Voice, Travtalk, TTN Worldwide, and TTR Weekly.
