The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has confirmed the full programme and speaker line-up for the PATA Annual Summit 2026 (PAS 2026), set to take place from May 11 to 13 at Lahan Hotel in Pohang and the Gyeongju Hwabaek International Convention Center (HICO) in Gyeongju, South Korea.
The summit, themed Navigating Towards a Resilient Future, coincides with PATA’s 75th Anniversary and brings together more than 60 confirmed speakers from the public and private sectors across the Asia Pacific travel and tourism industry.
Co-hosted by South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, the cities of Gyeongju and Pohang, and the Gyeongsangbuk-do Culture and Tourism Organization (GCTO), the three-day event will focus on how destinations and businesses can adapt and grow amid continuous and unpredictable change.
PATA CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid said the summit carries special significance this year. “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,” he said. “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:
Alan Elliott Merschen, Founder, The Sigmund Project; Co-Founder, Myriad MMGY Global
Aaron Salā, President & CEO, Hawai’i Visitors and Convention Bureau
Becky Ip, Deputy Executive Director, Hong Kong Tourism Board
Bela Stantic, Professor, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Bernard A. Metzger, Founder & Chairman, Travelindex Group & TOP25 World
Chan Woo Park, Executive Director, Culture and Tourism & Sports Bureau
Chander Mohan Parsheera, Chief Expedition Consultant, Adventure India
Dae-Young Kim, Professor of Hospitality Management, University of Missouri
Dan Wang, Professor, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
David Barrett, Founder & CEO, DBC & Partners Ltd
David Mann, Chief Economist, Asia Pacific, Mastercard Economics Institute
Deepak Raj Joshi, Advisor to PATA Nepal Chapter
Deokhyun Jo, Executive Director, Gyeongju Hwabaek International Convention Center
Emily Wang, Director, Overseas Marketing, Sanya Tourism Board
Dr Erwin Balane, Tourism Attaché, Philippines Department of Tourism – Korea
Eugene Tang, Chief Development Officer, South China Morning Post
Fabrizio Orlando, Director, Government Relations, Tripadvisor
Fazal Bahardeen, Founder & CEO, CrescentRating & HalalTrip
Florian Blois, Director of Marketing Partnerships, DIDA
Florian Sengstschmid, CEO, Azerbaijan Tourism Board
Gadijah Darries, Chief of Staff, Wesgro
George Cao, Co-founder & CEO, Dragon Trail International
Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)
Guoxin Ning, Chief Government Affairs Officer, U-Tour Group
Professor Haiyan Song, Chair Professor and Associate Dean, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Hyun Chul Shin, Head of the Glocal Tourism Team, Jeju Tourism Organization
Insook Lee, Executive Director of Korea MICE Bureau, Korea Tourism Organization
Jackson Pek, Chief Corporate & Legal Affairs Officer, Amadeus
Jessie McComb, Senior Tourism Industry Specialist, Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Jeninne Lee-St. John, Editor-in-chief, Travel+Leisure, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macau
Jennifer Chun, Director of Tourism Research, Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority
Ji Eun Lee, Program Administrator, Organization of World Heritage Cities Asia-Pacific Regional Secretariat (OWHC-AP)
Jonathan Low, CEO, Global Success Learning Academy
Joseph Sheller, Director – Strategic Marketing Solutions, HBX Group
Karen Yue, Group Editor, TTG Asia
Mayur (Mac) Patel, Regional Commercial and Industry Affairs Leader, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, OAG
Mei Mei Song, Chief Transformation Officer, Plaza Premium Group
Michael Zhou, President & CEO, Odynovo
Nadia Omer, CEO, AirAsia MOVE
Nam Il Kim, CEO/President, GCTO
Natasha Montesalvo, Principal Consultant – Destinations, Strategy & Insights, EarthCheck
Noor Ahmad Hamid, CEO, PATA
Noredah Othman, CEO, Sabah Convention Bureau
Randy Durband, CEO, Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)
Régine Lee, President & CEO, Guam Visitors Bureau
Sarah Mathews, CEO, e-Tourism Frontiers
Shijun Liu, Executive Director, UN Tourism
Simon Moriarty, VP, Syndicated Research, MMGY Global
Soon-Hwa Wong, PATA Ambassador for Greater China
Stewart Smith, Managing Director International Destinations, Sojern
Sunny Chang, Director, Global Business Development, Tidesquare
Wrenelle Stander, CEO, Wesgro
Yang Li, Head of Public Affairs, APAC, Booking.com
Yuzhou Huang, Founder & CEO, WDtrip
Programme highlights
The summit opens on May 11 with high-level board meetings, industry and education roundtables, and a Youth Symposium. Destination experience workshops reflecting the culture and heritage of Gyeongju and Pohang will also take place, covering traditional Korean dessert making, mother-of-pearl mirror making, and a healing experience session.
The main conference on May 12 will feature keynote presentations, panel discussions, and interactive sessions at HICO in Gyeongju. Session topics include global economic trends shaping travel, the future of destination marketing, the ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan 2026 to 2030, China outbound and inbound tourism, and smart MICE and digital tourism strategies.
The PATA Annual General Meeting will convene at Yukbuchon, the headquarters of GCTO, a venue with historical ties to the association dating back to a PATA workshop held there in 1979.
On May 13, the summit will mark the launch of the rebranded PATAmPOWER platform, the signing of memoranda of understanding, and the unveiling of a new PATA Microcredentials course. Celebrations marking PATA’s 75th Anniversary will run across all three days and include quizzes and historical exhibitions.
A series of complimentary half-day technical tours on May 14 will take delegates to key attractions in both cities, including Gyeongju’s Bulguksa Temple, Seokguram Grotto, and Daereungwon Tomb Complex, as well as Pohang’s Hwanho Botanic Garden and Space Walk.
PATA Annual Summit 2026 Programme in Brief
Monday, May 11 — Lahan Hotel, Pohang
- PATA Executive Board Meeting
- PATA Honours Committee Meeting
- PATA Board Meeting
- Industry and Education Roundtables
- Casual networking sessions
- Youth Symposium (morning)
- Destination experience workshops (morning):
- Korean Traditional Dessert (Dasik) Making
- Mother-of-Pearl Mirror-Making
- Healing Experience (Singing Bowl & Foot Bath)
- PATA Executive Board & Board Member Dinner (by invitation only)
- PATA Awards Presentation Dinner (by invitation only)
Tuesday, May 12 — HICO, Gyeongju and Yukbuchon
- PATA Chapter Meeting (morning, HICO)
- PATA Policy Forum powered by MMGY Global (morning, HICO — invitation only)
- PATA Annual General Meeting (Yukbuchon, GCTO headquarters)
- Main conference (afternoon):
- Keynote presentations
- Panel discussions
- Interactive sessions
- Conference session topics:
- 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
- China Tourism Dialogue: China Outbound and Inbound Decoded
- Smart MICE and Digital Tourism: Designing Adaptive Visitor Economies
- Press conference
- PATA Life Member Get-together
- Gala Dinner
Wednesday, May 13
- Launch of rebranded PATAmPOWER
- Signings of Memoranda of Understanding
- Unveiling of new PATA Microcredentials course
- 75th Anniversary celebrations including quizzes and historical exhibitions (running across all three days)
Thursday, May 14 — Technical Tours (complimentary, half-day)
- Gyeongju:
- Seokguram Grotto
- Bulguksa Temple
- Cheomseongdae Observatory
- Daereungwon Tomb Complex
- Hwangridan-gil
- Pohang:
- Hwanho Botanic Garden
- Space Walk
Sustainability commitment
The PATA Annual Summit 2026 is targeting carbon-neutral status. Attendees are invited to contribute USD 10 toward environmental sustainability efforts at the event.
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.
Full programme details and registration information are available at www.pata.org/pata-annual-summit-2026.
