PATA 70th Anniversary: Looking Back From the Eyes of Phornsiri Manoharn
The PATA Life Membership Awards is given to nominated members who satisfied at least 8 requirements, including: being an active member of PATA for at least 10 years, being active at various levels of PATA, such as Chapter, Divisional and/or Board levels, has been cited for the quality of his / her contribution in tourism, professionally and within the individual’s community, and more. As a general rule, except for unusual situations, only one award is given in this category each year.
In PATA’s 70 years of history (as of May 2021), 120 members have been awarded this honour.
About Phornsiri Manoharn
Phornsiri joined the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in 1970 and attended her first PATA Annual Conference in Tokyo in 1973. She remained devoted as an excellent standing enthusiast member of PATA since and was elected PATA Chairman 2009/2010 and honoured PATA Life Member in 2016. For more than 40 years of voluntary service to the tourism industry, she held a number of executive roles overseas and in Thailand.
After her long and distinguished career with TAT, she was elected as TAT's Governor in 2006. Upon her retirement, she was immediately appointed to be an Advisor to the Board of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Advisor to the Board of the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) and Board members of many government organisations. Phornsiri has devoted her entire working career in directing Thailand's tourism with important leadership and sharp foresight to an industry that contributes significantly to the destination’s GDP. Her extensive experience and knowledge helped implement tourism policy and marketing strategies for the destination in efforts to enrich a way of life. As a result, Phornsiri's hard work has benefited the economic growth of Thailand's tourism industry and well-being of the Thai people.
In recognition of her outstanding achievements, her many accolades include the ‘2008 Outstanding Award for Female Executive’ from the Ministry of Labour, '2008 Outstanding Person Award in the View of Journalists and Photographers', ‘Outstanding Person of the Year 2009 Award for Economic Development’ from the Office of the Prime Minister, as well as several royal decorations.
My most memorable PATA event dates back to 1973, when Lieutenant General Chalermchai Charuvastr, Founder of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), led the Thai delegations to the PATA Annual Conference in Tokyo and PATA Workshop in Kyoto. Because it was my first time ever at a PATA event. I still remember how excited I was seeing all the tourism gurus sharing their knowledge on the panel. It was an eye-opening experience for me, as I was only a junior staff then. I instantly felt how great and inspiring PATA is. Since then, I wanted to attend as many PATA events as possible.
I remember how ever since I joined TAT in 1970, our Founder and Executive Director, Lieutenant General Chalermchai Charuvastr, always mentioned to us about why he brought TAT to become a member of PATA. During the time he was given duty to set up the office of TAT, one of the first goals he wanted to achieve was to 'bring the world to Thailand and Thailand to the world' - that is why he made TAT join PATA ever since 1959. His strong commitment to Thailand's tourism industry inspired me so much that I made a commitment to myself since, to never stop bringing the world to Thailand and Thailand to the world. This has been my career motto.
1968: 17th Annual Conference in Taipei.
Newly elected offices at PATA’s 17th Annual Conference. L/R: Herbert N. Sayer; Matt Lurie; Lt Gen. Chalermchai Charuvastr, John. S. Purg; Robert S. Austin; Nobuo Matsumura.
Definitely the project in which we promoted Chiang Mai - Rose of the North - to become Thailand's second tourist destination. TAT invited PATA Task Force to inspect Chiang Mai and give recommendations on how to introduce Chiang Mai as the new tourism hub in the northern part of Thailand. One of the key recommendations received from PATA was for Chiang Mai to provide better access by expanding its airport. During that time, the most common way to travel to Chiang Mai was actually by road and train so no one ever thought of expanding the airport. This challenging, yet proven to be very successful advice from PATA back then, really helped pave the way for Chiang Mai as Thailand's popular destination.
(P.S. This is Tan Chee Chye’s most memorable PATA initiative as well!)
Being a PATA member has been a very honourable experience for me. I was able to actively promote Thailand to a wider audience around the world with strong support from all of my friends in PATA. My career mission of 'Bringing the world to Thailand and Thailand to the world' was made easier with the benefits of being a PATA member. This year that PATA turns 70, I am confident that PATA will continue to be a pillar of the world's tourism industry and continue to be successful in its mission to encourage a more sustainable tourism industry.
Story Time! Funny moments during PATA events:
Thailand always has big delegations when attending the PATA Conference. From TAT alone, usually around 10 people. So when we marched into the meeting room together, there would be members like Khun Luzi Matzig calling out to us saying "Here comes 'Thailand gangster'"!
