“The world can not only look at money, money, money or at profit, profit and profit”. It could have been the words from a Karl Marx 150 years ago or from a Fidel Castro in the early sixties. The passionate speech came however from a rather pragmatic Malaysian Minister of Tourism Datuk Seri Ng Yen Yen during the opening ceremony of PATA Annual Conference 2012 hosted in the …
Malaysian Minister of Tourism Datuk Seri Ng Yen Yen
“The world can not only look at money, money, money or at profit, profit and profit”. It could have been the words from a Karl Marx 150 years ago or from a Fidel Castro in the early sixties. The passionate speech came however from a rather pragmatic Malaysian Minister of Tourism Datuk Seri Ng Yen Yen during the opening ceremony of PATA Annual Conference 2012 hosted in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. The conference’s theme “Building the business beyond profits” highlights the shift occurring now in Asia. PATA has accompanied the growth of Asia Pacific tourism for now over sixty years but the association is now embarked into a new journey as paradigms are dramatically changing in the region. “Tourism will continue to grow in Asia at a highest rate than the rest of the world over the next decade. This fact is increasingly acknowledged by governments as one of the major sources of income for an economy. But with one billion travellers expected to travel this year and 1.6 billion in another decade, we have to take into consideration the changes in this growth. The survival of our industry will come from our ability to protect and take care of our environment,” highlighted outgoing PATA chairman Hiran Coorey in front of over 600 delegates from almost 40 countries.
Tremendous growth in Asia has brought prosperity but also destroyed some of the continent’s assets with construction taking its toll on many landscapes, which used to be pristine areas a couple of years ago. Business is changing with sustainability and social agenda turning into now into hot issues. A new mindset becomes necessary according to Malaysia’s Minister of tourism: “Tourism development is not anymore about economic gain but also here to serve to protect and preserve our heritage and the legacy of Mother Nature,” said Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen. “Sustainability is definitely not a trend”, echoed Costas Christ, president of Beyond Greeen Travel LLC and Editor for National Geographic Traveller.
Although most Asian governments issue quantity of laws and regulations, enforcement is not always assured due to greed and potential collusion between developers and some governments. Malaysia for example is seriously tackling this issue by vowing to preserve 50% of its rainforests and natural resources. “We look seriously at any project’s impact before giving the green light. But I do not think that punishing private investors would be an efficient way to infuse a sense of sustainability. But I believe in the pressure set by consumers, especially thanks to social media. Just look at young travellers commenting about their experience. They can put pressure on destinations by influencing other tourists’ choices. We must then work together public and private sector and take a balanced approach to development,” added Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen.
PATA’s role is then to bring more awareness among the entire industry –public and private sector- to help tourism environmental and sustainable commitment. “PATA assets is to have on its board industry players from a vast spectrum of activities from airlines to insurances, from NTOs to NGOs,” stresses Martin Craigs, PATA CEO. PATA’s advocacy’s role is then not only to defend the industry against possible harmful regulations but also against its own bad practices. The association plays consequently an increasingly active role to reward tourism companies and institutions which show their commitment for social balance and sustainability. And bundles its forces to let tourism industry’s next generation grasping the initiative. “PATA gained some sense for changes. And it will change without any fear” explains Martin Craigs, who hopes that the association will regain some of the influence it lost in the last decade…
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
