PATA Youth Symposium: Dynamic discussion on tourism and cultural integrity for Cambodia

Over 200 young professionals, students and lecturers participated in a dynamic discussion at the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Youth Symposium on Wednesday, September 17, 2014, at the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP). Under the theme “What Do You Want to Share with the World? Tourism and Cultural Integrity for Cambodia,” the symposium commenced prior to the 2014 PATA Travel Mart.

The program was developed with guidance from Dr. Chris Bottrill, Chairman of the PATA Education and Training Committee and Dean, Faculty of Global and Community Studies, Capilano University. Dr. Bottrill noted that the PATA Youth Symposium aims to provide a strong career foundation for students who wish to enhance their value-adding networking opportunities with travel professionals.

The Symposium opened with welcome statements by Dr. Neth Baromey, Head of Department of Tourism, and Dr Oum Ravy, Vice Rector, RUPP, who both thanked the Ministry of Tourism, Cambodia and PATA for their collaboration in organising the PATA Youth Symposium at RUPP. They both added that the Symposium was a great platform for students to exchange ideas and network with experienced industry professionals who provided valuable insights for the next generation.

Ms. Kong Roatlomang, Deputy General Director, Ministry of Tourism, Cambodia said, “It is my pleasure to welcomes international industry professionals to Cambodia, the Kingdom of Wonder. We need to work together to empower the younger generation to build great foundation for their future career.”

“PATA Youth Symposium is one of the essential activities that PATA created in the area of Human Capital Development. We are pleased to serve as the linkage between industry professionals and academic.” added Mr. Marin J. Craigs, PATA CEO.

Ms. Ivy Chee, PATA Regional Director – East Asia, delivered a Plenary Talk on the topic “The Rise of the Young Asian Travellers and Supporting the Next Generation of Tourism Leaders.” She also discussed the importance of the next generation of young Asian travellers and how marketers needed to think more creatively to promote tourism to them. As she highlighted, young Asian travellers tend to stay longer and spend more money. In addition, they want to learn and contribute more to the local communities.

Mr. Randy Durband, CEO, Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) talked about “Connecting Cambodia with the Globe – Airlines and Inbounds – Their Role in Cultural Integrity and Protecting the Future”.

Mr. Chris Carnovale, Instructor, Capilano University shared his experience in operating the PATA Grand Award 2014 Winning Project “Vietnam Ethnic Hill Tribe Community Tourism Partnership” project. Through the project, Capilano University faculty and students travel to Sapa and Hanoi in Vietnam to work in partnership with Hanoi Open University (HOU) in delivering skills-based training in areas of homestay development, business development, product development, tourism planning, and cultural preservation. The project aims to build the tourism capacity of the village and foster tourism networks through connections between the village and private sector tourism organisations.

All participants interactively shared their views in roundtable discussions on the following topics: What do you love about Cambodia? What are the most important things to conserve? What are the biggest challenges for Cambodia? And what can you do about these Challenges?

In recent years, the PATA Education and Training Committee has organised successful educational events at various institutions including UCSI University Sarawak Campus (April 2010), Institute for Tourism Studies (September 2010), Beijing International Studies University(April 2011) and Taylor’s University, Kuala Lumpur (April 2012), Lyceum of the Philippines University, Manila (September 2012), Thammasat University, Bangkok (April 2013), Chengdu Polytechnic, Huayuan Campus, China (September 2013) and Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai Campus, China, (May 2014).