There are few places on earth better suited to a gathering of wise old souls and bright-eyed dreamers than İstanbul — that great meeting place of continents, cultures, and, this April, over 260 delegates who still believe that travel can save more than just airlines’ bottom lines.
The Pacific Asia Travel Association’s (PATA) Annual Summit 2025 rolled into town like a much-needed spring breeze, carrying with it an agenda brimming with talk of timeless wisdom, sustainability, and — whisper it — a little bit of heart.
Hosted by the ever-gracious Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA), with Turkish Airlines ensuring everyone got there with minimal fuss (and preferably a warm meal), the Summit’s setting — the elegant CVK Park Bosphorus Hotel — reminded delegates that beauty, like good tourism, ought to be timeless.
First Things First: Housekeeping with a Purpose
Before any grand speeches or rousing declarations, PATA got its own house in order.
And rightly so. You can’t preach sustainability with a creaky mission statement and a board that appears to have been last updated when faxes were the height of technology.
Thus, PAS 2025 kicked off with a flurry of governance meetings — ratifying a fresh Vision and Mission, welcoming a revitalised Executive Board, and sharpening its PATA 2030 Strategy.
One could almost hear the collective sigh of relief: finally, an organisation talking about the future without clinging desperately to the past.
Words to Stir the Soul (Not Just the Wallet)
Come Tuesday afternoon, the official opening session arrived — not with blaring trumpets, but with a steady, heartfelt message from PATA Chair Peter Semone.
L/R: Sinan Seha Türkseven, Acting General Manager, Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency and Peter Semone, Chair, PATA.
And how refreshing it was to hear a tourism leader talk about peace, nature, and community rather than quarterly growth targets.
“Tourism cannot survive without peace, nature, and community,” Semone declared, in a voice that suggested he’d been to a few too many meetings where those words were conspicuously absent.
“If we chase only numbers, we lose the very things that make travel worthwhile. Tourism must be a bridge — not a bulldozer.”
Not to be outdone in the feeling-stakes, PATA CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid later stepped forward in the Thought Leaders Session, gently reminding the room:
“Tourism is an emotional economy. It’s not airports and spreadsheets we carry home from our travels — it’s memories, moments, and human connection.”
It was the sort of remark that makes one quietly close their laptop and listen.
A Chorus of Global Voices — and a Few Home Truths
With heavyweights from UN Tourism, Mastercard, BBC, Tripadvisor, Amadeus, Airbnb, and more, PAS 2025 was no stranger to big names.
But to its credit, the sessions steered clear of corporate chest-thumping.
Instead, panels like “Temperature Rising” tackled the grim realities of the climate emergency. At the same time, the PATA Policy Forum offered a rare glimpse of what happens when governments listen to one another.
There were lively debates on outbound markets, the rise of digital nomads (who no longer work from cafés, but from hammocks), the intrusion of AI into our sunny holiday dreams, and how to make tourism jobs something more dignified than endless “Would you like fries with that?” interactions.
Perhaps the most ingenious addition was the “Ask the PATA Experts” booth, where delegates could book a one-on-one with seasoned professionals, rather like speed-dating for sustainability solutions.
One suspects more was accomplished there in five minutes than in the entire years of government tourism strategies.
Hands Dusty with Tradition
Between the intense conversations about the planet’s fate, there was plenty of time to rediscover something often overlooked in the tourism industry — the simple joy of culture.
Delegates had the chance to roll and bake simit (the humble Turkish bagel), perfect the delicate pour of Turkish coffee, and even dabble in the hypnotic art of Ebru marbling.
For a few precious moments, smartphones were put away, suits were dusted with flour, and the true spirit of travel—wonder, participation, and humility—made a quiet comeback.
Wandering Old Streets with New Eyes
Post-conference, many delegates drifted into İstanbul’s old heart — gazing up at the towering majesty of the Hagia Sophia, wandering the glittering halls of Topkapı Palace, or simply letting the Bosphorus breezes remind them that good travel stirs something in the soul.
For the more adventurous, trips to Antalya, İzmir, and the fairy-tale chimneys of Cappadocia rounded out a Turkish adventure worthy of an ancient poet’s verse.
Partnerships, Promises — and a Quiet Word on Books
In a touching finale, new MoUs and partnerships were inked during the Closing Ceremony, sending a strong message:
This wasn’t just another summit of fine words and finer canapés.
It was, one hopes, the start of a slow, steady rebirth of tourism’s battered soul.
Equally moving was PATA’s Kind Hearts Initiative — a simple, beautiful idea that saw delegates donate children’s books to İstanbul’s Rami Library.
In an age where selfies often seem to matter more than substance, it was heartening to see something as old-fashioned — and as powerful — as books taking centre stage.
Walking the Talk
Finally, to put its environmental conscience into action, PATA offset the entire event’s carbon footprint through an investment in the Kınık Wind Power Plant in İzmir.
No meaningless greenwashing here — just a quiet, sturdy commitment to doing better.
If this Summit proved anything, it’s that tourism’s best days aren’t behind us.
They are waiting — patiently — for us to stop shouting, start listening, and walk again with humility through this fragile, beautiful world.
And perhaps, just perhaps, they’ll smell faintly of fresh-baked simit and strong Turkish coffee.
For full details and future updates, visit www.pata.org/pata-annual-summit-2025.
By Jason Smith – Istanbul
