Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), which is celebrating its 60th year, will host 60th Anniversary and Conference from April 9 to 12, 2011 at the China World Hotel, Beijing. The programme will focus on some of the biggest issues facing travel and tourism executives. High profile speakers from within and outside the industry will discuss topics including distribution challenges, changing demographics, responsible tourism, aviation and new technology.
According to the company release, the conference will also recall the contribution PATA has made over the past six decades, as well as look …

Canada has begun a major advertising campaign to woo China’s big-spending travellers as the number of outbound tourists from the world’s most populous nation looks set to explode.
China estimates outbound travellers will rise to 100 million over the next decade, with the potential to generate an extra $300 million in tourism revenue for Canada by 2015, according to The Canadian Tourism Commission.
Canada was granted Approved Destination Status (ADS) in June 2010. The designation meant that the CTC could market Canada in China and compete on an equal footing with other …

Global tourism bounced back from the world financial crisis with unexpected vigour, surging almost 7.0 percent last year compared to 2009, the UN World Tourism Organisation said Monday.”Tourism has once again proved to be a highly resilient sector,” UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai said in announcing the results.
“Boosted by improved economic conditions worldwide, international tourism has recovered faster than expected from the impacts of the global financial crisis and economic recession of late 2008 and 2009,” the Madrid-based body said in a statement.
It said international tourist arrivals were up by 6.7 …