On the occasion of World Tourism Day, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is proud to align itself with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and its many initiatives in ensuring we have a greener world to live in.

PATA is also the official partner for the World Tourism Day, which, this year, is being celebrated under the theme of ‘Tourism and Biodiversity’. Greg Duffell, CEO, PATA, is in the Maldives currently, where he aims to hold a teleconference between the Maldivian Tourism Minister, Dr Taleb Rifai, secretary general, UNWTO, and himself, to further discuss initiatives that can be taken in tandem. Said Duffell: “PATA is delighted to be an official partner of UNWTO’s World Tourism Day. This year’s emphasis on tourism and biodiversity plays into PATA’s passion for exploring and conserving life on this planet especially here in the Pacific-Asia region, where we are about to celebrate 60-years of our Associations efforts to promote good tourism. Advancing this interest in biodiversity will provide a boost to local economies and create a new global sharing of cultural and environmental appreciation. The onus is on the tourism community to encourage this growth, while protecting the wonders we promote.”

World Tourism Day 2010 is being celebrated in Guangdong Province, China. Joao Manuel Costa Antunes, director, Macau Government Tourist Office, and vice chairman PATA, is officially representing PATA at the event. Said Antunes: “The very definition of PATA is that it is ‘a catalyst for responsible travel’ and we are constantly promoting green actions in all our dealings, as far as possible. It makes me very happy to note that China has championed the World Tourism Day celebrations this year. The need of the hour is to make more and more people aware of the role each one of us plays in conserving the natural resources of Mother Earth.

“At PATA, we have aligned ourselves with prominent web sites that have launched a global green movement, in an effort to do our bit to protect the environment and reduce on carbon emissions. We strongly exhort our members to make some form of commitment to make the travel-and-tourism business as organic as possible. It is a start - and we hope to lead by example.”