PATA focuses on Gulf with Regional Appointment

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has appointed Ms Nicki Page, Executive Director of Fusion Marketing Management LLC, a Dubai-based specialist tourism marketing consultancy, as its regional representative.

After working with PATA on a project basis, Ms Page was formally appointed as PATA Director-Gulf Region at a recent global planning meeting in Bangkok.

PATA President and CEO Mr Peter de Jong said the Gulf was a large and growing source of travellers for the Asia Pacific region, with visitor arrivals to Asia growing at an average rate of 12% a year since 2001.

He said airlines were also recognising the huge two-way growth potential between the Gulf and Asia, with scheduled seat capacity rising from 276,000 per week in 2000 to 430,000 per week in 2006.

"By establishing a PATA presence, we are demonstrating our commitment to the region and our desire to forge close relationships with the industry," Mr de Jong said.

"We are delighted to appoint someone of the calibre of Nicki Page and her company Fusion Marketing to help build the PATA brand in the Gulf, to grow our membership ranks and to tap the extraordinary potential of the region."

PATA already has members in the Gulf including several UAE travel agencies, Jumeirah Group, Bahrain International Airport, Gulf Air, Gulf International Convention & Exhibition Centre (Bahrain), and Qatar Tourism Authority.

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