Pacific Asia Travel Association

History

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) was founded in 1951 and formally established in January 1952, following the efforts by Pan Am Regional Manager Bill Mullahey to organise a Pacific-area travel conference to promote tourism in a region still recovering from World War II. Supported by Lorrin P. Thurstin, publisher of the Honolulu Advertiser, the inaugural meeting convened in Waikīkī, Hawaiʻi, with 91 delegates from 13 countries. This gathering led to the formation of the Pacific Interim Travel Association (PITA), which was incorporated two months later with the mission to develop tourism throughout the Pacific area. PITA was formed with 25 active and 12 allied members. Represented were tourism and transportation companies from Alaska, Australia, Canada, Fiji, Guam, Hawaii, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippine Islands, Samoa, Tahiti, and the United States.

In 1953, PITA was renamed the Pacific Area Travel Association and relocated its headquarters to San Francisco under Executive Director Sam Mercer. Membership grew to include governments, carriers, hotels, travel agents, and other industry players. By the late 1950s, the association had 325 members and launched its first research initiatives and advertising campaigns.

The 1960s saw significant milestones, including the establishment of the first PATA chapters in New Zealand and Hong Kong, as well as the founding of the School of Tourism Industry Management (TIM) at the University of Hawaiʻi. In 1962, the Checchi Report, a comprehensive study on Pacific tourism commissioned by PATA, became a critical resource for member destinations.

In the 1970s, PATA expanded its focus to education, training, and heritage conservation through the establishment of the “Development Authority”, an advisory body composed of experts from diverse backgrounds and specialisations, whose purpose would be to carry out the association's intentions towards heritage conservation, education and training, and environmental enhancement. Pioneering initiatives included task force missions, such as the successful development plans for Chiang Mai, Thailand, as requested by Lieutenant General Chalermchai Charuvastr, Director General of the Tourist Organisation of Thailand (currently TAT).

In 1978, the inaugural PATA Travel Mart was launched in Manila. The event was the brainchild of then-PATA Staff Vice President Gerald Picolla, who saw the potential of such marts to generate huge volumes of business for participating member organisations at a fraction of the cost of doing business on the road.

The association adopted the name Pacific Asia Travel Association in 1986, reflecting Asia’s growing prominence. That decade also saw the creation of the PATA Foundation under George Howling, focusing on cultural and environmental preservation by administering project funding.

PATA advocated sustainable tourism in the 1990s with its "Code for Environmentally Responsible Tourism" and launched initiatives like the Green Leaf Program. In 1998, the organisation moved its headquarters to Bangkok, aligning more closely with its core membership base.

In the 2000s, PATA responded to global crises with initiatives such as Project Phoenix, which revitalised tourism following the September 11 attacks, and relief efforts after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Sustainability remained central, with the association adopting a mission to promote responsible tourism development.