WHY PATWA

Photo taken at the PATWA Intenational Green tourism at
London during WTM

 

Sagar Ahluwalia, Secretary General, PATWA with
Mayor of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit, at the PATWA
International Seminar at ITB Berlin

Communications are likely to become the most important sector among the future industries of the world and tourism would become the largest single operation in the economic development. Communication and effective dissemination of information will function as powerful catalysts in the promotion of future tourism, be it in the national, regional or international dimension. Travel communication in this context, will assume greater responsibility, encompass wider horizons of tourist interest, and demand more creative and higher level of professionalism.

Thus travel writing is expected to function as a crusader in developing innovative communication for the benefit of the tourist, travel industry and tourist destinations. There is no denying of the fact that future tourists are likely to be more specialised and professional visitors, looking for new experiences, new destinations and new attractions with a new sense of accomplishment in their travel programmes.

When one scans the tourist map of the world, one will discover that the vast region of the Asia-Pacific is going to be the real nerve centre of the coming decade’s travel and tourism activity. The growth of regional tourism in the Asia - Pacific basin is a significant trend in relation to the tourism promotion considerations of other developing countries of the third world, particularly in Asia. Professional development of travel writing and travel communication, can make invaluable contribution in the tourism promotion of the region in particular and the world in general. There is also the need of harnessing the latent potentials of new generation of professionals in this sphere, and establish a stature for the profession of travel writing that functions as the powerful link between the tourism industry and the consumer.

In the light of these salient features, the idea of having a well integrated, cohesive, productive and a highly professionalised association of the Pacific Area Travel Writers materialised into reality as a result of the meeting among a number of dedicated, experienced travel writers and journalists, at the time of the PATA Conference in Sri Lanka.

PATWA, as such will serve as a helpful and useful medium for all agencies involved in the travel and tourism industry to exchange ideas, experiences, and disseminate information about new developments in their respective areas of activity. Our news letter, will serve as the vehicle to carry vital information. The association aims to maintain a very high standard of professionalism in travel communication, and help promote the efforts of travel writers who are genuinely dedicated for the better promotion of tourism in the larger interest of the common man. PATWA will support the fundamental objectives of PATA’s efforts for tourism, and at the same time it will maintain adherence to the Fundamental Principles of the UNESCO and of the World Organization of Tourism. Through the dedicated efforts of its members, the association intends to work towards communicating the correct perspectives of tourism as an essential force in the frontiers of social, economic, and cultural development, while upholding the cause of peace, international good will and cooperation among various countries. It will also activise itself to create deeper awareness about the benefits of tourism considering the larger interest of different cross sections of the society. PATWA's communication efforts, in essence, aim to serve as the bridge for enhancing professional level understanding among all agencies involved in the travel industry for the better promotion of tourism in the region in particular and the world in general. The close communication which PATWA will try to ensure better communication and tourism promotion, will provide rich harvest for the benefit of all concerned agencies of the tourism industry through their co-operation.We are cofident that as PATWA is determined to render unflinching co-operation in strengthening tourism communication, all institutions in the development of tourism will also provide their active support to the association in its effort to fulfill its goals.With the reassurance of PATWA’s goodwill and co-operation to all members of the travel and tourism trade, we dedicate ourselves to a neglected cause.