Former PATA President & CEO, 1992-1997

This is a special episode in honour of the late Lakshman Ratnapala, who has passed away on Wednesday, September 8. The entire PATA family sends its sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr Lakshman Ratnapala.

What the industry said about Lakshman Ratnapala:

“… Ratnapala converted PATA from a regional outfit to a global tourism powerhouse by expanding its reach and clout in the councils of the world.“ - Alwin Zecha (1936-2019), two-term former PATA Chairman; Life Member 1989

“… an international tourism icon who, for 50 years, roamed the world encouraging national tourism leaders to deliver authentic, sustainable experiences“ - Michael Paulin, former PATA Chairman; Life Member 1998

“Lakshman Ratnapala has invested his life synthesising travellers perceived myths from reality. Over his tenure, tourism to Pacific-Asia flourished, led by initiatives he fostered in environmental sustainability and cultural authenticity. Lakshman afforded me the opportunity of learning how to navigate through cultural diversity and hard-line differences in order to achieve PATA’s goals. He is a student of logic and in another life would have been a brilliant international attorney.  He taught me the value of remaining deferential while not patronising and other insights into the Asian mentality rarely discernible to Westerners. His persistence and positive attitude turned around an organisation burdened with debt, by making membership valuable. Today Ratnapala focuses his unique perspectives on his native Sri Lanka’s rich, historical anthropology wrapped in the fascinating treasury of its legends and myths. His years of experience communicating the virtues of other nations’ cultural attributes provide an ideal sequel to explore Sri Lanka’s own rediscovery of itself to become a leading destination for cultural tourism.“ - Michael Paulin, former PATA Chairman; Life Member 1998

The PATA Life Membership Awards is given to nominated members who satisfied at least 8 requirements, including: being an active member of PATA for at least 10 years, being active at various levels of PATA, such as Chapter, Divisional and/or Board levels, has been cited for the quality of his / her contribution in tourism, professionally and within the individual’s community, and more. As a general rule, except for unusual situations, only one award is given in this category each year.

In PATA’s 70 years of history (as of May 2021), 120 members have been awarded this honour.

About Lakshman Ratnapala

• Since 1997: PATA Life Member

• 1992 - 1997: President & CEO, PATA

• 1991 - 1992: Vice President, Asia, PATA

• 1984 - 1991: Vice President, Membership & Chapters, PATA

• 1980 - 1984: Director of Chapter Services, PATA

• 1975 - 1979: Sri Lanka’s Director of Tourism

• 1975 - 1979: For The Americas, Based in New York City

• 1976 - 1979: Vice Chair of PATA NY Chapter

• 1976 - 1979: Chairman of ANTOR New York

My most memorable PATA event was the 46th PATA Annual Conference in 1997 in Beijing, China. It was, and remains to this day, PATA's greatest triumph, its finest hour in the best of times at the peak of PATA’s global influence, reach, and clout. It was a historic first for both PATA and the host destination.

It was modern China’s coming out party, showcasing its ancient heritage to the movers and shakers of world tourism, launching the destination’s very first ‘Year of Tourism,’ proclaimed by President Jiang Zemin. For PATA, it was the biggest gathering ever, with over 3,500 delegates gathered at the China World Hotel in Beijing to hear Premier Li Peng’s inspiring speech at the spectacular opening ceremony of the Annual Conference. The three PATA’s major events, the 9th PATA Chapters World Congress in Shanghai, the 19th PATA Travel Mart, and the 46th Annual Conference, were held back-to-back, each of which had broken attendance records.

I have attended most PATA Conferences since the PATA Silver Jubilee Conference in 1976 in Hawaii until the Conference in Sri Lanka in 2017.  All these Conferences were addressed by people of repute: royalty, presidents and prime ministers, bureaucrats, and technocrats.  All were inspirational in one way or another and have given me valuable insights into what tourism can do to help the peoples of our countries lead a better life. Of this galaxy of people, the most inspirational to me was George H.W. Bush who addressed the 43rd PATA Annual Conference in Seoul, Korea (ROK), in 1994 during which he called PATA ‘an agent of change’ and ‘a messenger of peace. ‘

Mr Bush was the only Head of State in the 70 year history of PATA to have keynoted a PATA Conference. His praise for PATA was for our leadership role in paving the way for PATA membership of Cambodia, China, Mongolia, Myanmar, Korea (DPRK) and Vietnam - destinations which hitherto had limited access to the world of tourism.

How George H.W. Bush was selected to be the keynote speaker in Korea (ROK) in 1994 is in itself an interesting story. In the months preceding the Conference, the Korean peninsula was making the headlines as an area of great political turmoil, with the two sides engaged in sabre rattling.

The Public Relations Task Force to Sri Lanka was not the only PATA project that made me proud of being associated with the organisation. There were many others, such as the expansion of the PATA Chapter network from around 35 when I joined PATA in 1980 to around 100 Chapters when I left in 1997, making it the world’s most influential sales force of volunteers in the world. I was also responsible for creating the PATA Chapters World Forum, of which I was immensely proud. There were other projects, such as the opening of the PATA Asia Division Office in Singapore, the Europe Division Office in Monaco, PATA Representation in Tokyo, Japan, and the creation of the first-ever PATA Education Authority with Dean Chuck Gee as Chairman.

It gave me great pride and joy to bring to fruition such diverse projects as the PATA Strategic Intelligence Center, the PATA Asia Business Forum, the PATA Adventure Travel Mart, the PATA Youth Forum, the launching of the PATA Green Leaf Programme, and others too numerous to mention. However, the achievement that gives me the greatest pride of all is the fact that I returned PATA from deficit to a two-million-dollar surplus, froze membership dues for an unprecedented all five years of my tenure as President despite an enormous Asian financial crisis, capped project fees, reduced staff and expanded membership bringing in destinations such as China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and Korea (DPRK). I was able to enhance PATA prestige in international councils including UN agencies, APEC, and OECD to move the Association from regional leader to global player. I must record however my great disappointment at the extermination of many of these projects such as the Green Leaf Programme, and the devaluation of others such as the Chapter network, despite the lip service offered by successive chairmen since my retirement.

Among other projects worth mentioning is the opening in 1970 of Sri Lanka’s first holiday resort in Bentota, based on architectural plans donated free of charge by PATA Member Pete Wimberley (Life Member 1988). It was the year when I joined the travel industry as an Assistant Director at the Ceylon Tourist Board in Colombo. This was the event that aroused my curiosity about PATA.

Being a PATA member, I like most the great interactions I have had: one on one with kings and princes, presidents and prime ministers, captains of industry and leaders of businesses throughout the world. I met the erstwhile King of Nepal a few months before he was assassinated; I also met Princess Diana at the World Travel Market in London sometime after her visit to the White House in Washington DC.

But most of all, I recall with enormous respect those who were nearest to me at PATA: Ken Chamberlain (Life Member 1990), Jerry Picolla, Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism Mr. Joop Ave (Life Member 1991), Alwin Zecha (Life Member 1989), Michael Paulin (Life Member 1998), Bill Lane (Life Member 1976). Also Mina and Kiyomi Sugahara (Life Member 1987), Milly and Tan Chee Chye (Life Member 1996), Ms. Shirin Walji (Life Member 2003), John Lindsay, Paul Hoskins, Luzi Matzig (Life Member 2014), Jae-Pil Sho (Life Member 2009), Caroline Boey, Raini Hamdi, and many more.

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