PATA Annual Summit 2026 Reaches Full House As Speaker Line-up Revealed

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) announced the PATA Annual Summit 2026 (PAS 2026) official event programme and speaker line-up—featuring leadership, industry experts, and academia from the public and private sectors of the Asia Pacific region’s travel and tourism sector. The event is set to be organised from May 11 – 13, 2026, at Lahan Hotel in Pohang and Gyeongju Hwabaek International Convention Center (HICO) in Gyeongju.

Co-hosted by Korea’s (ROK) Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Gyeongsangbuk-do Province; the cities of Gyeongju and Pohang; and Gyeongsangbuk-do Culture and Tourism Organization (GCTO), the Summit is themed ‘Navigating Towards a Resilient Future’, putting the focus of the conference on how destinations and businesses can transform to thrive in a time of constant, unpredictable changes. 

PATA CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid, said, “As many of you are aware, this year’s Summit carries special significance as it coincides with the Association’s 75th Anniversary, our Diamond Jubilee. As we come together, it is an opportunity not only to reflect on PATA’s history, but to learn from it—so we can remain relevant in the years ahead. By listening more closely to our members and responding to the evolving travel and tourism landscape, we ensure that our legacy continues to shape a stronger future.”

Confirmed speakers include:

1. Alan Elliott Merschen, Founder, The Sigmund Project; Co-Founder, Myriad MMGY Global

2. Aaron Salā, President & CEO, Hawai’i Visitors and Convention Bureau

3. Becky Ip, Deputy Executive Director, Hong Kong Tourism Board

4. Bela Stantic, Professor, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, Hong Kong Polytechnic University

5. Bernard A. Metzger, Founder & Chairman, Travelindex Group & TOP25 World

6. Chan Woo Park, Executive Director, Culture and Tourism & Sports Bureau

7. Chander Mohan Parsheera, Chief Expedition Consultant, Adventure India

8. Dae-Young Kim, Professor of Hospitality Management, University of Missouri

9. Dan Wang, Professor, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, Hong Kong Polytechnic University

10. David Barrett, Founder & CEO, DBC & Partners Ltd

11. David Mann, Chief Economist, Asia Pacific, Mastercard Economics Institute

12. Deepak Raj Joshi, Advisor to PATA Nepal Chapter

13. Deokhyun Jo, Executive Director, Gyeongju Hwabaek International Convention Center

14. Emily Wang, Director, Overseas Marketing, Sanya Tourism Board

15. Dr Erwin Balane, Tourism Attaché, Philippines Department of Tourism – Korea

16. Eugene Tang, Chief Development Officer, South China Morning Post

17. Fabrizio Orlando, Director, Government Relations, Tripadvisor

18. Fazal Bahardeen, Founder & CEO, CrescentRating & HalalTrip

19. Florian Blois, Director of Marketing Partnerships, DIDA

20. Florian Sengstschmid, CEO, Azerbaijan Tourism Board

21. Gadijah Darries, Chief of Staff, Wesgro

22. George Cao, Co-founder & CEO, Dragon Trail International

23. Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)

24. Guoxin Ning, Chief Government Affairs Officer, U-Tour Group

25. Professor Haiyan Song, Chair Professor and Associate Dean, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, Hong Kong Polytechnic University

26. Hyun Chul Shin, Head of the Glocal Tourism Team, Jeju Tourism Organization

27. Insook Lee, Executive Director of Korea MICE Bureau, Korea Tourism Organization

28. Jackson Pek, Chief Corporate & Legal Affairs Officer, Amadeus

29. Jessie McComb, Senior Tourism Industry Specialist, Asian Development Bank (ADB)

30. Jeninne Lee-St. John, Editor-in-chief, Travel+Leisure, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macau

31. Jennifer Chun, Director of Tourism Research, Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority

32. Ji Eun Lee, Program Administrator, Organization of World Heritage Cities Asia-Pacific Regional Secretariat (OWHC-AP)

33. Jonathan Low, CEO, Global Success Learning Academy

34. Joseph Sheller, Director – Strategic Marketing Solutions, HBX Group

35. Karen Yue, Group Editor, TTG Asia

36. Mayur (Mac) Patel, Regional Commercial and Industry Affairs Leader, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, OAG

37. Mei Mei Song, Chief Transformation Officer, Plaza Premium Group

38. Michael Zhou, President & CEO, Odynovo

39. Nadia Omer, CEO, AirAsia MOVE

40. Nam Il Kim, CEO/President, GCTO

41. Natasha Montesalvo, Principal Consultant – Destinations, Strategy & Insights, EarthCheck

42. Noor Ahmad Hamid, CEO, PATA

43. Noredah Othman, CEO, Sabah Convention Bureau

44. Randy Durband, CEO, Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)

45. Régine Lee, President & CEO, Guam Visitors Bureau

46. Sarah Mathews, CEO, e-Tourism Frontiers

47. Shijun Liu, Executive Director, UN Tourism

48. Simon Moriarty, VP, Syndicated Research, MMGY Global

49. Soon-Hwa Wong, PATA Ambassador for Greater China

50. Stewart Smith, Managing Director International Destinations, Sojern

51. Sunny Chang, Director, Global Business Development, Tidesquare

52. Wrenelle Stander, CEO, Wesgro

53. Yang Li, Head of Public Affairs, APAC, Booking.com

54. Yuzhou Huang, Founder & CEO, WDtrip

The PATA Annual Summit 2026 programme in brief

On Monday, May 11, at Lahan hotel in Pohang, the Summit shall commence with a series of high-level meetings—including the PATA Executive Board Meeting, the PATA Honours Committee Meeting, and the PATA Board Meeting—the Industry and Education Roundtables, and casual networking sessions. 

As part of the official programme, a Youth Symposium and destination experience workshops will also be held on the morning of the first event day. Carefully curated to reflect the culture and heritage of the cities, the Gyeongju and Pohang destination experience consists of three varieties: ‘Korean Traditional Dessert (Dasik) Making’, ‘Mother-of-Pearl Mirror-Making’, and ‘Healing Experience (Singing Bowl & Foot Bath)’.

The day will conclude with a PATA Executive Board & Board Member and PATA Awards Presentation Dinner (by Invitation only), where selected members of the PATA Community who have played crucial roles in the development of the Association and its network are honoured.

On the morning of Tuesday, May 12, the Association will be holding the PATA Chapter Meeting, and the PATA Policy Forum – powered by MMGY Global (Invitation Only) at HICO in Gyeongju. The PATA Annual General Meeting, on the other hand, is set to convene at Yukbuchon, the headquarters of GCTO, which held one of PATA’s workshops in 1979.

In the afternoon, the main conference will consist of keynote presentations, panel discussions, and interactive sessions. Session topics include ‘Navigating Economic Uncertainty: Global Trends Shaping Travel and Tourism’, ‘The Next Chapter of Destination Marketing: Trends Shaping the Road Ahead’, ‘Resilience at Scale: ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan 2026–2030 – A Regional Blueprint for Integrated Growth’, ‘China Tourism Dialogue: China Outbound & Inbound – Decoded’, ‘Smart MICE and Digital Tourism: Designing Adaptive Visitor Economies’, and more.

A press conference will also be held on this day, along with additional social functions, namely a PATA Life Member Get-together and a Gala Dinner.

Beyond the main conference and breakout sessions, the third day of the Summit will comprise the launch of the rebranded PATAmPOWER, the signings of Memoranda of Understanding, the unveiling of the new PATA Microcredentials course, and more. Moreover, PATA will celebrate its 75th Anniversary with a range of interactive sessions—including quizzes and historical exhibitions—across the three days.

On Thursday, May 14, three complimentary half-day technical tours will take place to showcase Gyeongju’s and Pohang’s key attractions. This will include Gyeongju’s Seokguram Grotto, Bulguksa Temple, Heomseongdae Observatory, Daereungwon Tomb Complex and Hwangridan-gil, and Pohang’s Hwanho Botanic Garden and Space Walk.

The PATA Annual Summit is dedicated to sustainability and aims to be a carbon-neutral event. Through a nominal contribution of USD10 from attendees, PATA hopes to ensure that the event remains environmentally sustainable and contributes positively to the preservation of the planet.

For more information regarding the full programme and registration, visit the PAS 2026 landing page www.pata.org/pata-annual-summit-2026 or contact the PATA Events Department at [email protected].

The event is supported by Supporting Airline, Korean Air; Policy Forum Sponsor, MMGY Global; Breakout Session Sponsor, School of Hotel and Tourism Management and Research Centre for Digital Transformation of Tourism, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Private Lunch Sponsor, Booking.com; Official Online Hotel Booking, HotelPlanner; Event Tech Partners, Cvent and the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB); Youth Sponsor, PATA Thailand Chapter; and Premier Media Partner, BBC Studios.

Supporting Media Partners includes Breaking Travel News, ftn News, South China Morning Post, Travel and Tour World, Travel Daily Media, Travel Daily News Asia-Pacific, TravelPress Korea, Travelindex, Travel Vision, Travel Voice Japan, Trav Talk India, Trav Talk Middle East, TTG Asia Media, TTN Worldwide, and TTR Weekly.