PATA TRAVEL MART 2002 TO FEATURE NEPAL & ADVENTURE TRAVEL

The 24th Pacific Asia Travel Association Travel Mart closed with the outline of next year's event taking shape.

The 2001 PATA Travel Mart was the first one where the number of buyers exceeded the number of sellers. A total of 286 buyers from 49 countries made appointments to see 262 seller companies.

"I sense a positive atmosphere, and this is because the mood of buyers and sellers are upbeat as a result of an upturn in the market," said Reed Travel Exhibitions Managing Director, Mr Tom Nutley. "This has been illustrated by our on-site research that has shown that almost 90 percent of our buyers have indicated that they are likely to return to the Mart next year."

Delegates praised the show's one-to-one pre-scheduled appointments. "This is the advantage of PATA Travel Mart," said Mr R. R. Pandey, Executive Chairman of Everest Express Tours & Travel. "At other shows it's like fishing, waiting for someone to bite. Here you know who you have coming."

Temple Tiger Executive Chairman, Mr Basant Raj Mishra, said the quality of buyers at PATA Travel Mart was important and that knowing who you would be meeting two to three weeks ahead of the Mart was a bonus. "This Mart is PATA's landmark event. I like its mixture of buyers."

Mr Nutley said: "PATA Travel Mart is the only event dealing with the whole of Pacific Asia. That's what makes it unique. Buyers here have to be serious buyers and qualified."

The 25th PATA Travel Mart will take place in Singapore April 9-12, 2002. Nepal will be the Feature Country and Adventure Travel, the Feature Product.

"Nepal is known as an adventure destination and sits in well with the 2002 Mart's theme," said Mr Pradeep Raj Pandey, Chief Executive Officer of Nepal Tourism Board. "What we want to do is to promote not only adventure but also Nepal's rich, diverse culture and festivals and as a MICE destination."

PATA Chief Executive Officer, Mr Joseph A McInerney said: "We are delighted that Nepal will be the Feature Country next year. It is a natural choice being the mother of Adventure Travel, which is the 2002 theme for Feature Product. We will work closely with Nepal, as we had with Malaysia this year, and will do what it takes to keep PATA Travel Mart the best venue for buyers and sellers representing the full spectrum of tourism activities in Pacific Asia."

The final day of the Mart next year, April 12, will be opened up to corporate travel buyers. Mr Nutley said sellers, especially hoteliers at the Mart, wanted the extra boost which corporate travel buyers could bring.

"On the last day there will be no structured appointments for corporate buyers, but they will have to be registered and qualified."

For further information on the 2002 PATA Travel Mart, contact Mr Andrew Lee, Director, Sales & Marketing for Reed Travel Exhibitions. Email: andrew.lee@reedexpo.com.sg.