PATA honours industry shapers at PATA Annual Summit 2016
BANGKOK, May 26, 2016 — The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has presented a series of awards in recognition of contributions made to the responsible development of travel and tourism in the Asia Pacific region.
The following awards were presented during the PATA Annual Summit 2016 on the Pacific island of Guam: PATA Life Member, PATA Award of Merit, PATA Chairman's Award, PATA Face of the Future Award and PATA Special Award.
PATA Life Membership is awarded to former TAT Governor Mrs Phornsiri Manoharn, now Vice Chairman of N.C.C Management & Development Co., Ltd. This is the Association's highest individual honour and recognises significant leadership and invaluable dedication to PATA.
"Life Members are champions of PATA's mission and have made tangible contributions over many years," said PATA CEO Mario Hardy.
An active advocate of the PATA mission since 1973 Phornsiri Manoharn has more than 40 years of voluntary service to the tourism industry, holding a number of executive roles overseas and in Thailand. She served as PATA Chairman from 2009 to 2010.
PATA Awards of Merit are reserved for individuals who have consistently contributed to PATA and the PATA Chapter network over an extended period. This award was presented to Scott Supernaw, former PATA Chairman and Managing Director – International of Tauck, Inc., USA.
Scott Supernaw has extensive experience in global marketing and business development from well-established brands in the travel industry. He is a founding member and a two-term Chairman of the United States Tour Operators Association and has served on the advisory boards of the French, Swiss and Israeli government tourism boards.
The PATA Chairman's Award was presented by outgoing Chairman Kevin Murphy to Basant Raj Mishra, Executive Chairman of the Temple Tiger Group of Companies.
Raj Mishra is a well-known name in the travel trade community. As the former chairman of the PATA Nepal Chapter, Secretary of PATA Nepal Chapter, Executive Member of PATA Nepal Chapter, Advisor of PATA Nepal Chapter and Founder Board of Nepal Association Tourism Board (NTB), he is an energetic and visionary entrepreneur. A widely travelled entrepreneur, Mr Mishra also has been carrying out responsibilities as the Honorary Consul of Republic of Chile to Nepal.
The PATA Face of the Future award for 2016 was presented to Danny Ho, Executive Pastry Chef, Hotel ICON, Hong Kong SAR. This award is presented annually to an exceptional 'rising star' in the industry, having exhibited initiative and leadership in the advancement of tourism as well as demonstrating a commitment to the sustainable development of the Asia Pacific travel industry in line with PATA's mission. It is the most prestigious honour for young tourism professional in Asia Pacific.
Known locally as the 'Prince of Durian' Danny Ho's cooking focuses upon securing produce from local farmers, thus increasing living standards in local communities and facilitating the development of the agricultural industry. His philosophy on alleviating food waste highlights one of the major issues facing the F&B sector, an intrinsic component of the travel and tourism industry.
The PATA Special Award, recognising an individual's extraordinary efforts as an exemplary ambassador on behalf of the Association, was presented to Pilar Laguaña, Director of Global Marketing at the Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB).
Pilar Laguaña has been the Director of Global Marketing for GVB since 1987. As a seasoned tourism marketing executive she is responsible for overseeing the Bureau's Marketing Department and its overseas marketing representative offices. She has been an active member and passionate supporter of the Association for many years and received the prestigious PATA Award of Merit in 2009. She is also Chairwoman of PATA's two-time award-winning Micronesia Chapter.
During the PATA Annual Summit 2016, PATA also ratified 2016 Honorary Membership to Mr. Eddie Baza Calvo, Governor of Guam.
"Human Capital Development is one of this decade's largest challenges for the travel and tourism industry where the demand for skilled labour far exceeds the supply. All of us in the industry understand that the success of any destination is dependent upon it people. Therefore it is only appropriate that we take the time to recognise some of the individuals that have contributed to our industry," said PATA CEO Mario Hardy. "I would like to congratulate all winners for their valuable contributions and also thank them for their continued support to both PATA and the travel and tourism industry."
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