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The 53rd PATA Annual Conference
The 53rd PATA Annual Conference (PAC) officially opened on April
19th with Mr. Goh Kun, acting President of the Republic of Korea,
welcoming 2,145 delegates from 41 countries to the beautiful island
of Jeju in Korea. This years PAC was a record-breaker, seeing the
largest number of participants in the event’s history. Over
70 participants from the PATA Japan Chapter participated in the
conference, which gave attendees the opportunity to hear from some
of the most influential speakers from the travel and media world,
the chance to network and make valuable new contacts, and the chance
to see some of the highlights that Jeju has to offer the visitor.
The PAC was preceded by the 2004 PATA Korea Chapter AGM from April
17th-19th, attended by many PATA Japan Chapter members, and which
included the “China/Japan/Korea PATA Chapter Tourism Forum”.
Further details of the various events that took place throughout
the duration of the conference are as follows:
2004 PATA Korea Chapter
AGM, April 17th-19th, Ramada Plaza Jeju
The PATA Korea Chapter AGM was well attended by many travel trade
representatives from the Pacific Asia region, as well as a large
delegation from Russia. Mr. Satoru Kanazawa, Director General, Tourism
Department, Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure
and Transport gave a presentation on Japanese tourism, and discussed
plans to make Japan one of the leading Inbound destinations in the
next few years.
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Mr. Satoru Kanazawa, Director
General,
Tourism Department,
Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure and Transport |
PATA Foundation Silent
Auction Raises US$37,000
The PATA Foundation Silent Auction raised a total of US$37,000, 22%
more than the funds raised at last year’s Annual Conference.
The PATA Foundation grants donated funds to community-based environmental,
cultural heritage and education projects throughout Asia Pacific.
The PATA Japan Chapter this year donated an AIBO, a state-of-the-art,
futuristic robot dog, which is a fitting symbol of today’s
modern Japan. As such, the PATA Japan Chapter Secretariat decided
that this would be an appropriate and fitting donation to represent
the “New” PATA Japan Chapter, incorporating innovation,
forward thinking and a taste for fun. The AIBO proved to be a very
popular donation, with a constant stream of people lining up to see
exactly what he (she?) could do, as well as trying to get the friendly
little AIBO to respond to their instructions. In the end, AIBO managed
to raise US$650 for the PATA Foundation, and has now headed off to
his/her new home in Seoul…
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| The PATA Japan Chapter’s donation to the 2004 PATA
Foundation Silent Auction - AIBO |
53rd PATA Annual Conference
Marketing Display
The PATA Japan Chapter, Japan Airlines and Aichi Expo 2005 jointly
hosted a Marketing Display area, providing information on the Chapter
and its activities, JAL Special Interest Tours and the upcoming Aichi
Expo. The booth saw many visitors, and featured the eye-catching “Yokoso
Japan!” posters, which helped to draw the crowds.
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The Marketing Display area
at the 53rd PATA Annual Conference
with eye-catching “Yokoso
Japan!” posters on display |
PATA Japan Chapter Media
Briefing
The PATA Japan Chapter held a Media Briefing on April 21st attended
by about 30 journalists from all over the world. The focus of the
briefing was Japanese tourism, the VJC campaign and Aichi Expo 2005.
Mr. Nobutaka Ishikure, PATA Japan Chapter Chairman, Mr. Jim T. Moritani,
Chairman of Travel Journal, Mr. Kazuaki Saiga of Japan Airlines and
representative of the Aichi Expo 2005 all contributed information,
thoughts and comments to the discussions. The media briefing also
featured Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s English-language
advertisement for the “Yokoso Japan!” campaign, and was
followed by a question and answer session involving the participating
journalists.
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Mr. Nobutaka Ishikure addresses
journalists from around the world
at the PATA Japan Chapter
Media Briefing |
PATA Japan Chapter Chairman
Named PATA Chairman Elect for 2004-2005
PATA Japan Chapter Chairman and Chief Industry Affairs Officer of
Japan Airlines Mr. Nobutaka Ishikure was named PATA Chairman Elect
for 2004-2005 at the closing ceremony of the 53rd PAC, and will take
over the role of PATA Chairman for the 2005-2006 term. PATA Chairmanship
revolves annually among representatives of the three industry sectors:
government, industry and carriers.
A Big Thank You from the
PATA Japan Chapter Secretariat
The PATA Japan Chapter Secretariat would like to extend our thanks
to all of the Chapter members who participated in the 53rd PATA Annual
Conference and for helping to make it such a successful event. We
look forward to seeing you all again next year in Macau!
The draft of Keynote Speech
at the PATA Jeju Conference
Please contact the PATA Japan Chapter Secretariat ()
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