The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) successfully concluded its 2026 Annual Summit (PAS 2026) in the Republic of Korea, marking a historic milestone as the association celebrates its 75th anniversary.
Convening more than 550 delegates from over 35 destinations, the high-profile summit, jointly hosted by the historic cities of Gyeongju and Pohang, centred heavily on the theme Navigating Towards a Resilient Future.
The three-day event delivered critical structural updates for the region’s visitor economy, most notably the election of Henry Oh as the new PATA Chair alongside a fresh Executive Board lineup, the ratification of fifteen newly elected global Board members and the official launching of a heavily revamped PATAmPOWER data platform to accelerate business intelligence for tourism stakeholders.
Henry Oh steps in as chair
A major highlight of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on May 12 in Gyeongju was the official election and ratification of Henry Oh, Chairman of Global Tour Ltd., as the new Chair of PATA. Oh brings immense regional prestige to the role; his firm was Korea’s first private travel agency and stands as one of the earliest Asian members of PATA. His prior accolades include the Korean Government’s '20 Million Dollar Award' and the 'Tourism Pioneer Award' from ITB Berlin. Oh has also sat on the International Relations Committee for the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics and is the Immediate Past Chairman of the Korea Association of Travel Agents (KATA).
“I am honoured to be elected by members of the PATA Board of Directors to take on this role,” Oh stated following his appointment. “As the new Chair, I am committed to strengthening collaboration within the Association, while building partnerships across the industry, so that PATA continues to serve as a guiding force for our members and network.”
Stepping into the role of Vice Chair is Ben Montgomery, Corporate Ambassador of Centara Hotels & Resorts.
The summit also formalised a restructured Executive Board. New ratifications include Jackson Pek (Chief Corporate & Legal Affairs Officer, Amadeus), Maria Paz Alberto (President, Ark Travel Express, Inc.), Siripakorn Cheawsamoot (Director-General, Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration - DASTA), and Shuichi Kameyama (Chief Consultant, JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co.). They join ongoing board member Dr. Sharzede Salleh Askor, CEO of Sarawak Tourism Board.
Broadened board
PATA ratified a diverse group of newly elected board members during the AGM, demonstrating its commitment to a balanced public-private-academic ecosystem. Individuals from these organisations represent key destination authorities, global tech platforms, major hotel brands, and academic institutions.
The newly elected members include leaders from TripAdvisor, Hotelbeds, Intrepid Travel, Jetwing Hotels, Tourism Malaysia, Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), Crescentrating, Global Success Learning Academy, Global Tourism Economy Research Centre, Bangkok University, Graduate School of Tourism Management, NIDA, Wakayama University, PATA Nepal Chapter, PATA Hong Kong SHTM Student Chapter, and PATA Face of the Future 2025.
Newly elected leaders join ongoing board members representing powerhouse entities such as Booking.com, the Saudi Tourism Authority, the Maldives Marketing & PR Corporation, the Hong Kong Tourism Board and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Revamped
PATAmPOWER
On the operational front, PATA selected the summit to officially unveil the enhanced version of its signature tourism data platform, PATAmPOWER, on May 13. Developed in collaboration with official government tourism authorities and aviation data leader OAG, the upgraded dashboard consolidates crucial metrics, including international visitor arrivals (IVAs), expenditure and aviation capacity forecasts, into a highly streamlined, modern interface.
The platform has been redesigned to grant seamless, immediate access to critical datasets that drive corporate decision-making. Users can track monthly scheduled inbound flight frequencies and seat capacities over a rolling 12-month horizon, utilise advanced data filtering and visualisation tools, and extract precise origin-market forecasts.
“This upgraded version of the platform has been redesigned with our users in mind,” noted PATA CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid. “The platform is now easier to navigate, which naturally leads to more instantaneous access to the insights needed for decision-makers.” Access is tied to member tiers via the PATA InfoHub, with specific data sets open to the public upon request.
Resilient future
Substantive strategic debates formed the core of the conference plenaries at HICO Gyeongju and the Lahan Hotel Pohang. Over 60 elite speakers from organisations like UN Tourism, the Azerbaijan Tourism Board, and AirAsia MOVE analysed the long-term horizons of the industry. Core panels targeted sustainable governance in a post-APEC landscape, destination marketing trends, and managing global economic uncertainties.
Complementing the business tracks, the summit also focused on immediate human capital development with the launch of the PATA Micro-credentials course on May 13. This programme offers expert-led, bite-sized learning pathways in digital transformation and sustainability, targeted at retaining and upskilling regional travel talent.
Reflecting on the milestone 75th anniversary, CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid concluded: "Seventy-five years ago, in 1951, PATA was founded with a bold vision for tourism in Asia Pacific. That vision helped shape an organisation that would grow alongside one of the most dynamic tourism regions in the world. The future of tourism will depend not only on technology and infrastructure, but on people, on how we attract, train, and empower the next generation of industry talent.”