PATA's CEO Challenge 2008 to Confront Climate Change

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is challenging travel industry leaders to agree and sign on to a truly cross-sectoral industry response to climate change, potentially one of the greatest global threats to travel and tourism.

Hosted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, and organised in partnership with the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) and the Burba Hotel Network (BHN), PATA's "CEO Challenge 2008: Confronting Climate Change" will take place in Bangkok on April 29-30, 2008.

PATA President and CEO Mr Peter de Jong said that the ambitious goal for the CEO Challenge is to create a single platform and action plan, fully engaging tourism ministers and heads of tourist boards, CEOs of airlines and airports, CEOs of leading international hotel groups, major tour operators and other key industry stakeholders.

Decision-makers from the public and private sectors of the travel industry will be challenged over a day and a half of interactive discussions to agree and commit to action.

Several important debates will lead up to the CEO Challenge. The UNWTO is convening the second Climate Change and Tourism conference in Davos in early October this year, while in November a tourism ministerial meeting will address the theme in London. Next year on April 22-23, the airline community will convene its third Aviation and Environment Summit in Geneva.

"We strongly support these initiatives and intend to incorporate their conclusions and recommendations into our CEO Challenge'', Mr de Jong said.

"We cannot achieve a meaningful response to climate change by acting alone. No one can. No single organisation. No single sector. Only by working together - as a united travel and tourism force - can we make a difference."

The 'PATA CEO Challenge' is a new annual event which PATA organises in lieu of the previous PATA Annual Conference.

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