PATA to host Information Technology Seminar in Bangkok

The PATA Thailand Chapter is to host an information technology seminar for the travel industry on 27 June called - Travelling Bits & Bytes.

The event, held at the Holiday Inn Silom in Bangkok, will be presented by Mr Har van der Veen, managing director of MindWaves Solutions, which specialises in IT solutions for the travel sector. The full-day workshop is being supported by the Tourism Technology Consortium, a pro-IT public and private sector alliance. A speaker from the Consortium will deliver a session entitled, "The Effect of the Internet on the Travel Industry."

Mr van der Veen will address issues such as "Changing Travel Patterns and IT," "Front and Back End Opportunities," "Data Mining in the Travel Trade," and "Real Life Implementation Tips".

Mr van der Veen, a graduate in computer science and physics, and a former hotelier and IT Director at Diethelm Travel, said that technology and consumer expectations had evolved rapidly since the inaugural PATA Thailand Chapter IT seminar last year.

"The trend is towards more frequent, shorter trips booked online with the consumer seeking confirmation of the whole package within five minutes," said Mr van der Veen. "Travel operators need mastery of IT solutions to meet these increasingly high expectations." 

Tourism Technology Consortium president Mr Apichai Sakulsureeyadej said that the internet was now the key driver of change in the travel industry. "More than 50% of tourists today access information and book through the internet," he said. "Using web-based technologies is now a necessity for tourism business owners."

The seminar concludes with a look at best practice and case studies of companies using applications, many of them freely available on the internet.

Mr van der Veen said, "Our objective for the workshop is to de-mystify technology for travel practitioners and open their eyes to IT driven sales and marketing tools that can improve their bottom line."

The workshop costs 2,850 baht for Chapter members and 3,150 baht for non-members. The price includes seminar documentation, certificate of attendance, two coffee breaks, lunch and refreshments. The workshop will run from 0900-1630.

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