Innovative tourism students in spotlight at PATA Social Entrepreneur Challenge

Wednesday, 21 March 2012 00:24 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), Tourism Malaysia, and Taylor’s University are inviting students in travel and tourism to participate in the 2012 PATA Social Entrepreneur Challenge, part of the 2012 PATA Annual Conference (PAC2012), on 21 and 22 April in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

PATA CEO Martin J Craigs said: “The commitment to Next Gen paradigm shifts and new thinking will be centre stage during the competition. We will discover the best student business plan. Young people will share their vision for growing the travel industry in a responsible way – PATA Next Gen in action.”

The challenge is aimed at undergraduates in tourism, hospitality or culinary arts in higher learning institutions in Asia Pacific. They should be ready to present an innovative sustainable tourism business idea at the PATA Annual Conference, the region’s premier travel industry thought leadership event.

Students are invited to form a team (maximum three persons) and submit a video on a socially responsible tourism business idea on YouTube (maximum five minutes). The proposal should fit in with any one of the following themes: changes in travelling patterns; changes in tourism and hospitality sectors; innovation in tourism and hospitality products; exploration of new tourism products; the influence of technology in the tourism industry; and tourism’s extra disciplinary roles.

Three final teams will be sponsored to present their idea live in front of a panel of the judges and delegates at the PATA Annual Conference in Kuala Lumpur, on 21 and 22 April. Two awards will be granted to a champion judged by travel and tourism experts and the audience’s favourite via the competition’s dedicated Facebook page.

Fiona Huang Hao, the champion of the 2011 PATA Social Entrepreneur Challenge said: “I never dreamed about this – giving a presentation on an international stage instead of in a classroom, joining an expert forum to discuss the future of the tourism industry and having my picture in the newspapers. But, this is what seems to have happened! The competition was a valuable opportunity for me to present my ideas at an international conference and to listen to the opinions and comments from industry experts. At the same time the exposure developed my network, which is very helpful for my future career development.”

Fiona is currently a graduate student, Master of Social Science in Sustainable Tourism, at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The deadline for students to submit their idea via video is 31 March, 2012. encourages students and academics to join the PATA Annual Conference with the following offer: eight students get one free registration – professors or lecturers who bring at least eight students will have their conference registration fee waived. Academic registrations will be arranged on a group basis with the offer of complimentary registration for professors or lecturers conditional on them bringing eight or more students. For more information visit www.pata.org/pac2012 or email to [email protected].