Keep the Hawaii Visitors Industry closed after August 1 is a reasonable approach, said to Dr. Mario Hardy, CEO of the Pacific Asia Travel Association, known as PATA.
It takes true leaders in the world to face a reality that can hurt the business, they are mandated to protect. PATA CEO Mario Hardy is such a leader.
PATA is a global travel and tourism organization with its headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand. PATA also has an influential chapter in Hawaii. The Chair of the PATA Hawaii Chapter is Ms. Jennifer Chun, Director of Tourism Research for the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
eTurboNews asked Dr. Hardy today if he would suggest to Hawaii Governor Ige to extend the reopening of the State to tourists after August 1? Mario Hardy responded:
“Considering the situation on the US mainland; this may be a reasonable approach. However; the state could entertain the idea of re-opening with a limited amount of destinations that are less at risk. ”
PATA is a supporter of “rebuilding.travel” initiative started in Hawaii by the CEO of the TravelNewsGroup, Juergen Steinmetz. Rebuilding.travel now has tourism leaders in 117 countries discussing and coordinating the COVID-19 situation.
Mario Hardy added: “As the travel and tourism industry faces one of the greatest threats it has ever seen, now more than ever we need to work together to build a more resilient, responsible, and sustainable travel and tourism industry. The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) encourages all initiatives that work towards this goal such as rebuilding.travel. Only through coordinated cooperation between all industry stakeholders can we hope to quickly and safely recover and to start rebuilding travel.”
Dr. Hardy was appointed CEO of PATA in November 2014 and is also the past Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PATA Foundation, a non-profit organization with a focus on the protection of the environment, the conservation of culture and heritage, and support for education. He has 30 years of experience in specialized aviation businesses focusing on data analytics and technology, coupled with several corporate leadership capacities. He is also the founder of Venture Capital firm MAP2 | Ventures, an investment fund with a wide portfolio of technology-centric businesses in the field of FinTech, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, GreenTech and FMCG, as well as a platform that provides valuable management advice, mentorship and access to a vast network built-in corporate development. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Capilano University in 2016 for his philanthropic work in Cambodia where he helped develop a school for underprivileged children and for his support in the development of a Community Based Tourism project in Vietnam.
Founded in 1951, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a not-for-profit association that is internationally acclaimed for acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its member organizations, comprising 95 government, state and city tourism bodies, 25 international airlines and airports, 108 hospitality organizations, 72 educational institutions, and hundreds of travel industry companies in the Asia Pacific and beyond. Thousands of travel professionals belong to the 36 local PATA chapters worldwide. The chapters organize travel industry training and business development events. Their grassroots activism underpins PATA’s membership in Uniting Travel, a coalition of the world’s major Travel & Tourism organizations dedicated to ensuring that the sector speaks with one voice and acts in unison on the major issues and includes ACI, CLIA, IATA, ICAO, WEF, UNWTO and the WTTC.
Since 1951 PATA has led from the front as the leading voice and authority on travel and tourism in the Asia Pacific region
- In partnership with private and public sector members, PATA enhances the sustainable growth, value, and quality of travel and tourism to-from-and-within, the region.
- The Association provides leadership and counsel on an individual and collective basis to its member organizations, comprising 95 government, state and city tourism bodies, 25 international airlines and airports, 108 hospitality organizations, 72 educational institutions, and hundreds of travel industry companies in the Asia Pacific and beyond.
- PATA’s Strategic Intelligence Centre (SIC) offers unrivaled data and insights including Asia Pacific inbound and outbound statistics, analyses and forecasts as well as in-depth reports on strategic tourism markets
- PATA’s events create millions of dollars of new business each year for its members
- Thousands of travel professionals belong to 36 active PATA chapters worldwide and participate in a wide range of PATA and industry events.
- The PATA Foundation contributes to the sustainable and responsible development of travel and tourism in Asia Pacific through the protection of the environment, the conservation of heritage and support for education.
