The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has been around longer than many of today’s airlines and is strapping on its party hat for a milestone. The Association, founded when steamships still outnumbered budget carriers, has launched a year-long campaign to mark its 75th anniversary. In true PATA fashion, the celebrations are being staged with a blend of reverence, fanfare, and just enough sentimentality to remind us that tourism is about more than hotel beds and flight schedules.
The curtain-raiser occurred at the PATA Knowledge Forum 2025, held on 26 August at Bangkok’s Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, alongside the ever-bustling PATA Travel Mart (PTM 2025). There, amid handshakes, selfies and the clinking of glasses, PATA unveiled its 75th anniversary logo, a commemorative video, and a theme designed to tug gently at the heartstrings: “From Vision to Legacy: PATA at 75.”
A vision born in the ashes of war
Chief Executive Officer Noor Ahmad Hamid reminded the audience that PATA’s founding came when the world desperately needed hope.
“Seventy-four years ago, our founders came together when the world longed for peace, healing, and hope,” he declared. “Their vision was simple yet powerful: to use travel as a bridge between cultures, as a pathway to prosperity, and as a passport to peace. That vision continues to guide us today, reminding us that the work we do is not just about tourism, but about connecting people and creating understanding across borders.”
Hamid quickly linked the past with the present: “It is in that same spirit, honouring the founders’ vision and embracing our ongoing mission, that I am delighted to officially launch the celebrations for PATA’s 75th Anniversary in 2026.”
It was an address steeped in gravitas that tourism folk rarely hear outside of the United Nations General Assembly, but then again, anniversaries demand a little ceremony.
Announcing the soft launch of the PATA 75th Anniversary Celebration are PATA CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid (fourth from left) and PATA Chair Peter Semone (sixth from left), joined by PATA Life Members (L/R): Rabendra Raj Pandey, Chairman, Everest Express International P. Ltd.; Darren Ng, Managing Director, TTG Asia Media Pte. Ltd.; Jae Pil Sho, Editor & Publisher, Travel Press-Korea; Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director, Macao Government Tourism Office; Soon-Hwa Wong, CEO, Asia Tourism Pte Ltd., Tunku Iskandar, Group President, Mitra Malaysia Sdn.Bhd.; Andrew Drysdale, Life Member, PATA; and Andrew Jones, Guardian, Sanctuary Resorts.
Legacy meets the digital age.
Far from being stuck in the nostalgia trap, PATA’s campaign has a distinctly modern flavour. A new interactive webpage, cheekily titled “Lost in Time, Found by You: Your Memories Complete the Picture,” has been unveiled.
It invites members, partners, and anyone with a dusty shoebox of old travel snaps to help identify people and places captured in PATA’s vast archive of photos. Many of the black-and-white shots are still mysteries. The hope is that someone, somewhere, will look at an image of a 1960s convention in Manila or Honolulu and cry out, “That’s Uncle Jack in the background!”
The site doesn’t stop there. Visitors can also upload photographs, stories, and anecdotes of PATA’s seven-and-a-half-decade journey. In a world where TikTok reels vanish in 24 hours, seeing an organisation invite its community to slow down and reflect is refreshing.
Celebrations ahead
The 75th anniversary campaign won’t be a one-day wonder. Activities will ripple throughout the year, with PATA promising more surprises at its booth during PTM 2025. The main crescendo, however, will come at the PATA Annual Summit 2026, which is set to unfold in May across the South Korean cities of Gyeongju and Pohang in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province.
This dual-city summit not only underlines Korea’s growing role in Asia-Pacific tourism but also symbolises the cross-border connectivity PATA has always championed. If past summits are anything to go by, expect a heady mix of policy speeches, networking feasts, and enough cultural performances to remind delegates that tourism isn’t just numbers on a spreadsheet.
Why it matters
For 75 years, PATA has been the quiet engine behind Asia-Pacific’s tourism rise. While individual destinations shout about their beaches, temples or shopping malls, PATA has done the more peaceful but essential work of shaping strategies, championing sustainable growth, and bringing stakeholders together.
The Association’s longevity proves that tourism is about continuity as much as change. It is about protecting heritage while embracing innovation; about honouring those who built the bridges while ensuring new travellers continue to cross them.
As PATA enters its diamond year, it is not simply celebrating a number but reaffirming a commitment: to use travel as a force for peace, prosperity, and, dare we say, the occasional unforgettable holiday snap.
