The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Travel Mart 2009 was open for business – with more than 1,000 Buyers, Sellers and media attending this year’s event in Hangzhou, China (PRC).

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Travel Mart 2009 was open for business.

This year industry and media delegates (including 591 Sellers from 38 destinations and 305 Buyers from 51 source markets) are attending the event which opened on September 23 and lasted for three days. Markets promoting at PTM for the first time include Spain and Korea (DPR).

“With China now ranked as the fifth strongest source market globally by UNWTO (when measured by tourism-related expenditure) there's no doubt that we're in the right country at the right time this year,” said PATA Chairman Mrs Phornsiri Manoharn.

Hangzhou Tourism Commission Director Li Hong, who hosted the opening ceremony, said, “It is my great honour to welcome PATA to the city of Hangzhou for PATA Travel Mart 2009. Tourism is a pillar industry for the city of Hangzhou with some 400,000 people employed directly in travel and tourism.”

Mr Li Hong told journalists that the city of Hangzhou was striving to raise still further the standard of attractions, hotels and other amenities for tourists. “Although we have received the honour of ‘best city in China’ from the CNTA and the UNWTO we recognize that there is still work to be done to compete with international cities such as, for example, Paris and Barcelona,” he said.

PATA Chairman Phornsiri Manoharn presided over the official opening ceremony at the World Trade Center, supported by an impressive list of VIPs and distinguished guests. Also joining the ribbon-cutting ceremony were PATA CEO Greg Duffell; Zhang Jiangting, Deputy Mayor of Hangzhou; CNTA vice chairman Du Jiang; Hangzhou Mayor Cai Qi; Zhejiang Tourism Administration Director Zhao Jin-yong; and Mrs Zhang Chun-zhi, Managing Director, Marketing for Air China.

Guests included James Bule, Vanuatu’s Minister for Trade and Tourism, Fineasi Funaki, Minister for Tourism in Tonga and Somphong Mongkhonvilay, Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office, Lao PDR.

PATA Travel Mart - Asia Pacific's most important and influential travel and tourism industry networking and contracting event - was launched in 1978 in Manila. Every year the travel and tourism industry uses the event for research, networking and contracting. PATA is a membership association acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of the Asia Pacific travel and tourism industry. In partnership with PATA’s private and public sector members, we enhance the sustainable growth, value and quality of travel and tourism.

Hangzhou is the capital city of Zhejiang Province and is ‘the paradise city’ of China (PRC), praised for its myriad of canals, lush rolling hills, fragrant fields of tea, spectacular temples and pavilions and of course the classical beauty of the famous West Lake which covers an area of six square kilometres and features some of Hangzhou's most famous historic and scenic places.

By Charlie