The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has announced that Virtual PATA Travel Mart (PTM) 2021 will take place from September 2-5 in Leshan, China.
Virtual PTM is a business-to-business travel contracting and virtual networking event that both mirrors and enhances the features of the long-standing PTM, which boasts over four decades of experience in connecting qualified international buyers and sellers from Asia Pacific and beyond through one-to-one business appointments.
“PATA’s goal is to bring valuable content and virtual networking opportunities to enable our members and trade show attendees to stay current with the latest travel products and build connections with new global colleagues,” said PATA CEO Liz Ortiguera.
“PATA, as one of the most authoritative international tourism organisations in the world, enhances the value, quality and sustainable growth of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. In recent years, PATA has been actively committed to promoting in-depth cooperation with Leshan Tourism, and has achieved fruitful results, becoming a model of regional cooperation in Asia and even the world,” said Song Qiu, Director of Leshan Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau.
“PATA Travel Mart is one of the longest-running travel trade shows in Asia Pacific. In 2020, Leshan, as the Featured Destination of PTM 2020, took advantage of the SCITE and cooperated with PATA to jointly organize an international tourism EXPO, and achieved a transaction volume of over 90 million yuan through the interactive form of ‘online + offline’.
“In 2021, Leshan will once again hold PTM 2021 with PATA to provide convenient and comfortable services for international buyers and sellers, build a communication and interactive platform for participants, and work with PATA to make new and greater contributions to the development of tourism in post-pandemic era,” she added.
The event will offer two business days of one-on-one meetings with up to 50 matched appointments across all time zones from September 2-3. There will also be two trade visitor days on September 4-5. In addition, industry trends and insights will be a part of the program as well as interactive networking breaks with special sessions from various national tourism organisations (NTOs).
Virtual PTM 2021 highlights include:
• Interactive Exhibition Experience – Navigate an interactive map to browse sellers, submit appointment requests, view product pitches, and exchange contact information.
• Video Meets – Set up time slots and request meetings supported by video calls, text, and voice chat.
• High-Quality Live Forums – Gain insights on travel recovery with live presentations and panels through the PTM Forums.
• Buyer Incentives – Buyers have the opportunity to earn prizes by earning points and completing event missions.
• Games & Giveaways – Join one of the virtual social games and get the chance to win some awesome travel giveaways and prizes from our sponsors and partners.
PATA International Members in good standing are eligible for a free Standard Booth and both Chapter Members and Non-Members can benefit from seller fees that are 50 per cent lower than market rates ($599 for Chapter Members and $799 for Non-Members).
Leshan is a prefecture-level city located at the confluence of the Dadu and Min rivers in the Sichuan province of China. The Leshan Giant Buddha of Mount Emei, a Cultural, Heritage and National 5A tourist attraction, is a popular attraction for its influence on Buddhist culture and is surrounded by a unique natural landscape.
