The PATA Youth Symposium 2021 Brings Different Perspectives Together to ‘Reflect, Reconnect, Revive’

BANGKOK, April 13, 2021 -- This year, the PATA Youth Symposium, with the theme ‘Reflect, Reconnect, Revive’, will take place alongside the Virtual PATA Annual Summit 2021. The PATA Youth Symposium is a 4-part series happening over three days from April 27 – April 29, 2021. The Symposium is organised by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and supported by the following PATA Youth Sponsors: Guam Visitors Bureau, iFree Group, MAP2 Ventures, Sigmund and Talent Basket.

“Throughout last year, tourism students experienced a huge upheaval. They had to adapt to online learning platforms in isolation without the ability to meet their schoolmates in person. These conditions hampered their progress of any passion projects and stunted the growth of their own personal networks. However, the silver lining in all this was that online communities grew in size and engagement and an amazing community of international youths have rallied around the PATA Youth programme,” said PATA Youth Ambassador, Ms Aletheia Tan. “The PATA Youth Symposium is organised by PATA to continue supporting our youth community during this global pandemic. This is a continuation of our dedication to Human Capital Development and to ensure the resiliency of our industry in the long run. We are extremely grateful to our PATA Youth sponsors and various co-hosts for their support for both the event and the development of tomorrow’s tourism leaders.”

The PATA Youth Symposium begins on Tuesday, April 27 from 1000-1100 hrs ICT (GMT+7) with “Part 1: Tourism as a Positive Catalyst, an exciting panel discussion that is open to all interested parties. Both youth and the young at heart are welcomed to join the conversation.

This session was inspired and co-created with Ms Pauline Yang, a PATA Youth based in Hawaii who represents the tourism students in our international community that believe that their careers in this industry can make a positive impact. Our other expert guest speakers will represent the voices of the public sector, the industry and the investment community and will discuss how together the tourism industry can build a more responsible future post-COVID-19.

Expert guest speakers include Datuk Musa Hj. Yusof, Deputy Director General, Promotion, Tourism Malaysia; Jason Lusk, Managing Partner, Clickable Impact Consulting Group and Consultant, ADB Ventures; and Suyin Lee, Managing Director, Discova.

Held immediately after the panel discussion, “Part 2: Mentorship Session” will create a space for the PATA Youth to learn from today's industry leaders as well as the chance for industry leaders to listen to the future of the industry – the youth themselves. Our mentors hail from all sectors of the industry and represent various organisations such as Hawaii Tourism Authority, ForwardKeys, Vynn Capital, Discova, Khiri Reach, Forte Hotel Group and TTG Asia. This session is private invitation only, however PATA Youths can apply to be selected as a Mentee at the following link: https://forms.gle/fkVzVPwYBzwXv723A. Applications must be submitted by April 18, 2021 at 2359 hrs. ICT (GMT+7).

All PATA Members are invited to become a PATA Youth Mentor and can contact Ms Tan at YTP@PATA.org.

The PATA Youth Symposium continues the next day on Wednesday, April 28 at 1000-1130 hrs. ICT (GMT+7), with “Part 3: Scaling Up Your Impact”, a Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Workshop that is open to all interested parties as PATA believes that everyone has a role to play in achieving the United Nations (UN) SDGs. The session will be led by experienced facilitator, Roy Janzten, Professor at Capilano University.

As an interconnected and interdependent global community, there are only nine years left to achieve the UN SDGs. Achieving these goals will require an unprecedented mobilization of the energy and skills of the youth. Therefore, this workshop will focus on scaling up the impact of the youth, challenging them to design projects specifically for their local communities and generating actionable outcomes.

This session is generously sponsored by Sigmund, a free, open-source platform that connects innovators and promotes collaboration in the global tourism industry and co-organised with the PATA Canada Vancouver Capilano University Student Chapter.

The final session, “Part 4: Student Chapter Roundtable Discussion”, wraps up the PATA Youth Symposium on Thursday, April 29 from 1300-1500 hrs. ICT (GMT+7). All interested parties are welcome to join this discussion to find out what the youth have been up to in 2020 and 2021. Here, the youth take the stage to share the impact generated by the PATA Student Chapters on a local, regional and international level.

The PATA Youth Symposium is supported by the following co-hosts: ASSET-H&C, Bali Tourism Polytechnic, Daffodil International University, Dusit Thani College, Global Academy of Tourism & Hospitality Education (GATE), Lombok Tourism Polytechnic, PATA India Christ University Student Chapter, PATA Philippines University of Mindanao Student Chapter, RMIT Vietnam, Taylor's University, University of Baguio and Woosong University.

Join the PATA Youth Symposium by registering for the Virtual PATA Annual Summit 2021 at the following link: https://www.pata.org/virtual-pas-2021.

The PATA Youth Symposium is led by PATA Youth Ambassador, Ms Aletheia Tan, as part of the PATA Youth programme. For more information and/or to get involved, please email YTP@PATA.org.