PATA signs deal with Professional Travel Bloggers Association

Tuesday, 29 December 2015 00:03 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has announced an organisational partnership with the Professional Travel Bloggers Association (PTBA) to strengthen the cooperation and shared interests between the two associations.

One of the first activities of the newly signed partnership, PATA will work with PTBA to encourage buyers, sellers, and conference delegates to connect with leading industry travel bloggers at the PATA Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference and Mart 2016 in Chiang Rai, Thailand from February 17-19, 2016 at the Dusit Island Resort Chiang Rai. Bloggers will also have the opportunity to discover the amazing stories of Chiang Rai through various activities. The event is being generously hosted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

“In today’s digital economy, original user-generated content is a critical aspect for any organisation’s digital marketing strategy. Destinations need to better understand that good travel bloggers help sell tourism offerings through enriching stories that encourage travel and truly connect with an audience. More importantly, these stories help foster cross-cultural understanding for the highly interconnected and interdependent travel and tourism industry,” said PATA CEO Mario Hardy. “This partnership allows our members the opportunity for them to connect with leading industry travel bloggers at our events, particularly the Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference and Mart in Thailand and PATA Travel Mart in Indonesia. This can help elevate their marketing efforts and stay competitive.”

PTBA President Matt Gibson added, “The Professional Travel Bloggers Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the travel industry and professional bloggers meet and work together in productive and mutually-beneficial ways that enable both parties to meet their goals. We are very excited about the opportunities this partnership will open up for us to engage in dialogue with the travel industry in the Asia Pacific region about how they can boost sales through blogging, social media, and by working with professional bloggers.”

As part of the agreement, the two organisations will work to to share knowledge through research and publications, reciprocate in event participation, support mutual agreed advocacy positions, and enhance access for the benefit of members of both organisations.

The Professional Travel Bloggers Association’s mission is to promote the interests of travel bloggers within the industry by supporting and fostering the needs, careers and relationships of travel bloggers. It aims to legitimise travel blogging as a business and facilitate business relationships within the industry.