Today, sustainability is a topic of discussion across a wide range of industries. As with the tourism industry, which is considered the main income of many countries, sustainability is a top priority to be aware of in order to create a balance between both natural and man-made tourism destinations and the attempts to take advantage of these two resources. This is to prevent the deterioration of the planet.
Therefore, Travel And Tourism Research Association or TTRA, a non-profit organization which has been run for more than 50 years with the objective to reinforce research, analysis, and marketing standards related to travel and tourism among over 20 members worldwide, has organized an annual seminar under the topic “Tourism and Travel Sustainable Transformations in the Asia Pacific” in Bangkok, Thailand.
Every year, the venue of the event will be rotated to enable seminar participants to gain and exchange diverse knowledge, experiences, and cultures from various countries. This year, Thailand was chosen as the destination for the seminar and Dusit Thani College, a leading higher education specialized in hospitality business under Dusit International, was trusted to host the event on 30 November – 3 December 2024 at Srinakarin Hall, Dusit Thani College Bangkok.
Dr. Atthawet Prougestaporn, Rector of Dusit Thani College, gave an opening speech that “For Thailand, the tourism industry has been the main source of income since 1987. During that time, there were about 2.4 million tourists visiting Thailand per year. However, according to year 2023 data, there were about 2.4 million tourists visiting Thailand per month and there will be around 35 million tourists in total for the year 2024. These data reflect how much the tourism industry is growing. However, growth comes with deprivation, especially in terms of the environment, way of living of local communities, and culture. We hope that this seminar can be a space where the theories in the research can be put into practice, as well as a platform for the exchange of ideas for our industry.”
While Dr. Aaron Tham, President of TTRA Asia Pacific Chapter, gave a speech to warmly welcome seminar participants to Thailand, one of the most beautiful countries in Southeast Asia. He emphasized that sustainability is a topic that every industry around the world places an importance on, while TTRA is willing to support each organization to achieve the ambition.
Throughout the past period, the global tourism industry has constantly been evolving. However, economic, political, and even human resource constraints and rapid technological advancements are factors that affect global tourism. Therefore, it is necessary to research in order to adjust and evaluate the market, as well as to seek new business models and opportunities. Especially in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic recovery, there have been more new and intense competition in many destinations around the world. This situation urges all relevant sectors to conduct research to create sustainability for the industry. That’s what TTRA and Dusit Thani College, the host of the event, expect participants to gain from this seminar.
