Tony Fernandes to Speak at PATA Youth Symposium in Macau

Tony Fernandes, AirAsia Group CEO, has been confirmed as a speaker of PATA Youth Symposium in Macau.

 Hosted by the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) and organised by the Association’s Human Capital Development Committee, the symposium will take place on Wednesday, 13 September with the theme of ‘Enabling Travel and Managing a Complex Future’.

Dr. Mario Hardy, PATA CEO said, “The PATA Youth Symposium is a cornerstone of our commitment to the next generation of young tourism professionals. We are honoured that Tony Fernandes has agreed to address tomorrow’s tourism industry leaders. The Association has placed special focus upon the Young Tourism Professional this year and the PATA Youth Symposium highlights our continued dedication to enhancing the knowledge and skills of students seeking careers in travel and tourism.”

In addition to Mr. Tony Fernandes, confirmed speakers at the Youth Symposium include Dr. Mario Hardy; Ms Rika Jean-François - Commissioner ITB Corporate Social Responsibility, Competence Centre Travel & Logistics, ITB Berlin; Dr. Chris Bottrill; Dr Fanny Vong and Ms JC Wong, PATA Young Tourism Professional Ambassador.

AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes said, "These are exciting times for air travel in Asia. The low-cost revolution has made flying affordable and we are seeing more and more people fly for the first time. This creates opportunities as well as challenges for the region's travel and tourism industry. What role will automation play? How do we ensure sustainable development of tourism? What are the constraints we will face as traffic grows? Are there enough low-cost terminals to cater for the fastest growing aviation segment? The PATA Youth Symposium is a great forum to discuss these questions and more, and I look forward to hearing what students have to share on the future of travel in Asia."

The symposium includes plenary talks on ‘Artificial Intelligence and Automation in the Tourism Industry: Is C3PO taking our jobs?’; ‘Where Does Responsible Travel Fit in our Future?’ and ‘Enabling Air Travel for All: How Air Asia has Become the World Leading Low Cost Carrier’.

 The event also features an informal chat with Tony Fernandes and interactive roundtable discussions on ‘What opportunities and challenges do you see in enabling greater volume of travel?’ and ‘What role do human’s play in managing a responsible industry in the future?'.

See also: AirAsia and Emirates Talk Very Frankly About Aviation Issues - HD Video.

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