BBC Premier Media Partner PATA

PATA and BBC in partnershipMacau (Macau SAR) – September 14, 2014 – The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is pleased to announce BBC Global News Ltd., the owner and operator of BBC World News and bbc.com/news, as the new PATA Premier Media Partner.

As a membership association advocating for the responsible development of the Asia Pacific travel and tourism industry, the partnership will provide PATA the opportunity to reach more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, and over 389 million households and 1.81 million hotel rooms.

The 24-hour global news channel BBC World News and bbc.com, which offers up-to-the minute international news and in-depth analysis, is the top choice for premium audiences in Asia Pacific and is recognised as the most trustworthy and insightful news brand in Asia. It is the #1 international news platform consumed by the world’s high net worth premium travelers1. Also, BBC World News is the most popular channel watched from hotel rooms by frequent business travelers2. BBC World News is the leader in global breaking news, presenting various stories from the widest range of locations with journalists in more countries than other international news broadcasters.

PATA CEO Martin J. Craigs commenting on the sidelines of the APEC 8th Tourism Ministerial Meeting in Macau SAR said, “PATA looks forward to a wide ranging cooperation with BBC World News and BBC.com. This will be a genuine partnership with each side drawing expertise from the other. The integrity, intensity and diversity of BBC’s news coverage need no introduction. PATA expects to project via this partnership why travel and tourism is overwhelmingly a force for good in a troubled world.”

As one of the first steps in the partnership, Carmen Roberts, a reporter and producer on BBC World News’s weekly travel new programme, Travel Show, will be a guest moderator at the JATA Tourism EXPO Japan 2014 – International Tourism Forum, Asia Travel Market Analysis Session, organized in collaboration with PATA. The theme of the session, “Rapidly Growing Asia and Significance for Tourism Industry”, will be presented by Ivy Chee, PATA Regional Director – East Asia and explore the current tourism outlook across Asia and look at key sustainable development strategies in Thailand, Malaysia and Japan.

About PATA:
Founded in 1951, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a not-for profit association that is internationally acclaimed for acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its member organisations, comprising 90 government, state and city tourism bodies, nearly 30 international airlines, airports and cruise lines, 57 educational institutions, and hundreds of travel industry companies in Asia Pacific and beyond. Thousands of travel professionals belong to the 43 local PATA chapters worldwide. The chapters organise travel industry training and business development events. Their grassroots activism underpins PATA’s membership of the Global Travel Association Coalition (GTAC), which includes ACI, CLIA, IATA, ICAO, WEF, UNWTO and the WTTC. The PATAmPOWER platform delivers unrivalled data, forecasts and insights from the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre to members’ desktops and mobile devices anywhere in the world. PATA’s Head Office has been in Bangkok since 1998. The Association also has official offices or representation in Beijing, Sydney, Dubai, London and New York. Visit www.PATA.org.

About BBC:
BBC World News and BBC.com, the BBC’s commercially funded international 24-hour English news platforms, are owned and operated by BBC Global News Ltd. BBC World News television is available in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, and over 380 million households and 1.8 million hotel rooms. The channel’s content is also available on 178 cruise ships, 53 airlines and 23 mobile phone networks. bbc.com offers up-to-the minute international news and in-depth analysis for PCs, tablets and mobile devices to more than 76 million unique browsers each month.

Media Contact:
PATA
Paul Pruangkarn
Manager – Communications
Bangkok, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 658 2000
E-mail: Communications@PATA.org
Online newsroom: www.PATA.org/Press