Key Highlights from PATA Wellness & Luxury Travel Conference & Mart 2021!
PATA Wellness and Luxury Travel Conference & Mart 2021 was organised in partnership with Platinum Sponsor, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, and Official Virtual Platform Partner, Zipevent Co., Ltd. This digital event offered a deeper look at specialised product offerings and forum topics to share key trends in the global wellness and luxury tourism industry emerging from pandemic recovery.
The post-event recordings will be available exclusively to PATA International Members. Contact our Membership Team for access >
Here are the key takeaways from the Virtual PATA Wellness and Luxury Travel Conference and Mart 2021:
Keynote Presentation: The Evolution of Wellness in Travel'
Susie Ellis, Chairman & CEO, Global Wellness Institute
Asia is becoming a growth leader in the wellness sector. This is driven by the need for emotional healing from isolation and overworking since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Destinations and resorts that can provide positive spaces for trauma recovery through wellness programmes are well positioned for this long-term trend.
—
'Wholistic Wellness: Self, Others and Nature'
Renyung Ho, Senior Vice President Brand HQ, Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts
Banyan Tree is charting wholistic wellness for self, others, and nature through 2 pathways: intuition and perception. Intuition requires cultivation in safe spaces - this has led to their evolution of the spa to include digital journeys from home. As a result of the digital acceleration since the pandemic, treatments that temporarily remove our sight, sound, and gravity can help open up senses and allow us to perceive the world more clearly.
—
'Leading the Way - The Evolution of Travel in Asia Pacific'
Jane Sun, CEO, Trip.com Group
Travel behaviour has significantly changed in the past year and a half. According to research, 70% of Asia Pacific consumers now clearly prioritise health and safety. There has also been a bigger trend towards luxury travel experiences in 2021 compared to 2019. As a result, Trip.com Group has been working with suppliers to ensure greater wellness programmes with options for luxury travel.
—
'Set to Soar: How Consumer Travel Plans Point to a Tourism Boom'
Top: Ezra Wang, Manager, Travel, APAC, Flywire; bottom: Mae Madanlo, Chief Business Development Officer, Zeldiva Luxury
70% of the travellers will spend more money on travel in the 2022 than they have in the past five years and 90% of travellers prefer to pay for travel on their own currencies. Before the pandemic, price was the first factor that influenced travel; now it comes after safety, isolation, and many other factors.
—
'Wellness and Luxury Consumer Trends and Insights'
Sarah Mathews, Group Head of Media Partnerships APAC, Tripadvisor
Based on a survey from Accenture and Tripadvisor that polled 1,000 Americans, high-income millennials are set to drive the post-pandemic travel boom. And across the demographic groups, 45% listed relaxation as what they seek on their next trip.
—
'Fireside Chat with TAT & BBC'
L/R: Mariko Oi, Asia Business Correspondent/ Presenter, BBC News; Teerasil Tapen, Executive Director of The Americas Region, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)
Thailand is planning to allow quarantine-free entry for visitors from low-risk source markets starting Nov 1, 2021. They will be required to show negative PCR test results and must stay at an accommodation with SHA+ certification. The successes of its 'Phuket Sandbox' model of reopening destinations has resulted in 50K foreign arrivals since July and nearly 900K room night bookings between July 2021 and February 2022.
—
'Holistic Wellness in Asia'
Top L/R: Lynda Williams, Founder & Managing Director, Vim & Vigour; Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Soothe; Woon Hoe Lee, Senior Assistant Vice President, Executive Director - Wellbeing, Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts; bottom L/R: Toby Ouvry, Founder & Head Coach, Integral Meditation Asia; Dervla Louli, Founder, Compare Retreats
After an extended period of isolation, people are looking to connect again - this can be seen in the increase of group retreat travel. As a result, products are changing to allow guests to enjoy wellness experiences with others in their groups. While sustainability is still not at the top of the list for consumers, there is a growing preference for sustainable businesses - the key is to weave it into the guest experience instead of making it a standalone effort.
—
'Destination Insights: Thailand with BBC'
Top L/R: Mariko Oi, Asia Business Correspondent/Presenter, BBC News; Jocelyn Whiteside, Cluster Director of Sales & Marketing, Thailand and Bhutan, COMO Hotels and Resorts; bottom: Marc Albert, Managing Director, Asian Trails Thailand
Thailand's borders have been closed since April 2020 and are set to reopen in November 2021. There are new measures in place, such as higher standards in hotel housekeeping and daily physical and mental health checks, as well as quarantine yoga, meditation, and wellness programmes. While some locals are worried about the spread of COVID-19 after reopening, there is also excitement about the return of visitors and income, especially as tourism previously accounted for 18% of Thailand's GDP and 12% of employment.
—
'Closing Keynote: Awakening Travel's Potential For Good'
Jake Haupert, Co-founder & CEO, Transformational Travel Council
In the post-pandemic environment, consumers are looking for deeper purpose and connections to their inner selves through their travels. They want their trips to have more purpose and would be willing to spend more money to do so. In this sense, the role of tourism is shifting towards healing, regeneration, and reconciliation from the ground up - and from inside to out - to help ensure a brighter future for all.
—
'Meet PATA's CEO'
PATA International Members were able to meet Liz Ortiguera, CEO of PATA (highlighted in red above), while networking amongst other members and learning about what's on the horizon for PATA during this informal and interactive session open exclusively for members.
The post-event recordings will be available exclusively to PATA International Members. Contact our Membership Team for access >
—
Registration to Virtual PATA Wellness and Luxury Travel Conference and Mart 2021 was open to all delegates through the support of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (Platinum Sponsor). We are grateful for the support of Flywire (Silver Sponsor), Tourism Promotions Board Philippines (Bronze Sponsor), and ZipEvent (Official Virtual Platform Partner).
Thank you to Aava Resort, Amatara Wellness Resort, Aonang Princeville Villa Resort & Spa, Asian Trails, Carlton Hotel Bangkok Sukhumvit, Devasom Khao Lak, Dusit Hotels & Resorts, Guam Visitors Bureau, Intas Destinations, Intercontinental Phuket Resort, Kamalaya Koh Samui, Movenpick BDMS Wellness Resort Bangkok, Sindhorn Kempinski Hotel, Trans Niugini Tours, and Trisara (Prize Sponsors). We would also like to thank our Supporting Media Partners: Travel Daily News, Travelindex, Travel Weekly, TTG Asia Media, and TTR Weekly.
Most importantly, thank you to all of our delegates, Buyers, Sellers, and speakers for making the event possible!
