PATA Returns To Kuala Lumpur With Social Responsinility Agenda

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysians from the public and private sectors, as well as students interested in the tourism industry, are invited to participate in the 2012 PATA Annual Conference, taking place from 19 to 22 April 2012 at The Royale Chulan Kuala Lumpur.

Featuring some of Asia's most acclaimed and conscientious entrepreneurs who will share their successful social entrepreneurship business models and principles, the conference is set to provide Malaysian participants an in-depth and informative forum on tourism and a networking opportunity. Addressing the theme "Building the Business Beyond Profits", the 2012 PATA Annual Conference will bring together delegates from all areas of travel and tourism.

Through the conference, PATA hopes to deliver a tangible business-focused forum with strong advocacy on corporate social responsibility to support its sustainable mission. Having been established for more than 60 years, PATA has repositioned itself to face the challenges of the next generation through its Next Gen initiative. Martin J. Craigs, PATA CEO, explains, "PATA Next Gen expresses the association's commitment to build business with all the new tools of the trade without losing its face-to-face friendships or sense of fun.

"PATA Next Gen is about mindset and the intelligent use of new/next generation technology - a new mindset that looks to digital solutions, brave advocacy and bold thought leadership events fully in tune with a social media age. It expresses PATA's commitment to a way of doing business that Next Gen thinkers appreciate." Topics that will be presented and discussed at the conference include "Building the Business Beyond Profits - Leading in Challenging Times", "Opening New Horizons - Building Business Excellence", "The Social Entrepreneur Challenge", and "ASEAN 2015 - Great Expectations: One Vision, One Identity, One Community".
Speakers this year include Costas Christ, Editor and Columnist of National Geographic Traveller; Bruce Poon Tip, Owner and Founder of G Adventures; Anita Mendiratta, Managing Director of CACHET Consulting; and Sajith Sivanandan, Country Head of Google Malaysia.

The 2012 PATA Annual Conference is organised by the esteemed Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and hosted by the Ministry of Tourism, Malaysia and Tourism Malaysia. It marks the fourth time the country is hosting this prestigious event, with previous ones held in 1972, 1986 and 2001. The registration fee for local (Malaysian) delegates is only US$200 per person, while students only need to pay US$99 per person. The cost of participation covers all official functions, business sessions, airport transfer and ground transportation to and from official functions in the programme (unless indicated otherwise).

The full programme can be found and downloaded at www.PATA.org. Please download and complete the Conference Registration Form at www.regonline.com/PAC2012 as soon as possible.
-Tourism Malaysia.