The Pacific Asia Travel Association, or PATA, held its Annual Summit recently in Guam featuring international experts who are at the forefront of the travel industry. This year’s theme was “Exploring The Secrets Of The Blue Continent,” referring to the many island countries spread over the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean.
With these Pacific island countries at the critical junction of development, the conference unveiled a call to action under the banner “Code BLUE” which explores the key success factors taking travel and tourism organizations to the next phase of sustainable tourism. BLUE is the acronym for: Back to basics, Leveraging knowledge and expertise, Unraveling the mysteries of human capital development, and Energizing ecological efforts.
The 3-day conference, hosted by Guam Visitors Bureau, was held at the Grand Ballroom of the Dusit Thani Guam Resort and treated guests, representing travel and tourism establishments all over the world, to a large dose of the colorful Chamorro culture. Blooms of all sizes and colors were aplenty, and the food on the buffet had that distinct “sting” that sets Chamorro cuisine apart from those of the other Pacific countries.
There were many interesting speakers and topics that kept me glued to my Ballroom seat the entire three days. Among them was Mark Baldyga, chairman of Guam Visitors Bureau, who presented their Tourism Strategic Plan which is to begin the transformation and repositioning of Guam as a MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Expositions) destination. This market segment always brings in higher revenues than ordinary tourists.
The Honorable Alain St. Ange, Seychelles’ Minister of Tourism and Culture, explained how a country should project its unique cultural roots to attract new markets without exceeding capacity.
Tony de Brum, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary for Climate Change from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, gave tips on how to ensure the longevity of the entire tourism industry and the island country’s resources, while managing the lack of diversity and sustaining a unique culture.
Faustina K. Rehuher-Marugg, president of the Palau Resource Institute, had a very interesting talk on the choices made to shape the economy of an island country, and how its external connectivity plays an important role in creating such economy.
I also had the privilege to speak during the Chapter Colloquium participated in by dozens of chairmen of PATA chapters all over the world, highlighting the functions of and the activities embarked on by the dynamic Philippines Chapter which I head as chairman.
There were many other interesting discussions that stemmed from the talks of the 26 speakers invited to this annual gathering of tourism industry leaders from all over the world. Of course, it was not just all business, as we also had a lot of time for some honest-to-goodness fun.
A pre-conference tour of the city and a post-conference tour of the entire island were sponsored for the participants. But Guam Visitors Bureau saved the best for the Welcome Fiesta it hosted for the hundreds of delegates and their spouses.
Colorfully decorated dinner tables were spread out over the entire Plaza de Espana which is right next to the city’s main landmark, the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral Basilica in downtown Agana. This wide open park also fronts the new and modern Guam Museum.
Arriving guests were greeted with a welcome garland made of big brown seeds, and a headdress – floral for the ladies, and woven leaves for the gentlemen – a perfect match for the “island wear” shirt which all of us were given and required to wear for the event. Before we could even take selfies of our enhanced get-up, we were all handed coconut juice served in its fresh shell. Attractive wahines in floral outfits escorted us to our tables past groups of islanders in their native costumes singing and dancing to the musical sounds of the island.
After a group picture in front of the Guam Museum, Governor Eddie Calvo officially welcomed all of us and gave the signal for dinner to be served. It was a sumptuous buffet of Chamorro delicacies which, surprisingly, also included lechon. Wine and beer were overflowing, much to the delight of everybody in the crowd.
Attendance to this 3-day PATA event was time well spent as those of us in the tourism industry always hanker for new perspectives that could further enhance our appreciation and involvement in this very dynamic trade. The various talks gave us a stronger grasp of how our region could compete with the tourism industries of the other regions of the world. Best of all, these learnings came with a large dose of fun, the Blue Continent way.
For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@gmail.com
YOUR MONDAY CHUCKLE
Doctor: I’m sorry but you suffer from an extremely terminal illness and you have only 10 to live.
Patient: What do you mean, 10? Ten what? Years? Months? Weeks? Days?
Doctor: Nine…eight…
