The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) announced a new Premier Partnership with one of the world`s most powerful brands, Visa. The strategic alliance brings together the leader of Asia Pacific travel and tourism and the world`s leading card payment company.

PATA President and CEO Mr Peter de Jong said he was delighted to welcome Visa as a Premier Partner of the Association and to start developing joint programmes that would utilise the collective data resources and customer reach of the two organisations.

Visa is a vital contributor to the travel and tourism industry, facilitating billions of dollars worth of transactions for consumers travelling throughout the Asia Pacific region, he said.

We look forward to developing a strong partnership with Visa based on our common goals, which include the growth of tourism on a sustainable basis and the reinforcement of the economic value of tourism.

Visa International Executive Vice President, South and Southeast Asia, Mr James Murray, said he was pleased to be joining forces with PATA, which provided unique access to the leaders of the public and private sectors of travel and tourism.

In recent years, PATA has proven itself to be at the forefront of bringing various components of the tourism industry in Asia Pacific together to address critical issues ranging from infrastructure to adversity. It values the importance of partnerships with key players across the broad spectrum of travel and tourism, he said.

He added: Tourism is important to the economies of Asia Pacific and it is important to Visa. We have more than one billion cardholders globally, many of whom use their cards to pay for goods and services while travelling abroad.

Mr de Jong and Mr Murray agreed that one of the main areas of co-operation under the Premier Partnership would be research, utilising the acclaimed resources of PATA`s Strategic Intelligence Centre and Visa`s unrivalled database of spending behaviour and trends.

Other areas would include mutual brand building, joint usage programmes, high-level networking opportunities and advocacy on industry issues. The partnership agreement is for three years.

Through the Premier Partnership programme, PATA seeks to form alliances with international or regional leaders in sectors that have a significant vested interest in the travel and tourism industry.

Visa joins global media brands CNN, TIME and FORTUNE as Premier Partners.

Mr de Jong said PATA was committed to growing the Premier Partnership group to enhance the opportunities for multi-lateral co-operation between partners. He said he expected there would be further announcements about new partnerships later in the year.