More bad news for tourism following the bomb explosion in Bali earlier this week: The Pacific Asia Travel Association has cancelled its first ever Sustainable Tourism Conference, which was scheduled to take place at the Imperial Century Hotel in Western Java, Indonesia, October 23 to 26.
PATA had wanted to continue with the conference to show support for Indonesian tourism, but upgraded travel advisories for the area, imposed by several countries, including the U.S., caused significant cancellations among speakers and delegates to the conference and PATA leadership reluctantly cancelled the event. About166 people had registered for the meeting.
The group’s vice president of development, Peter Semone, is in Bali helping Indonesia authorities implement crisis management strategies, according to PATA. The organization will be involved with the country’s Ministry of Tourism and Culture in developing a task force to help rebuild the country’s tourism business, which has been a critical component of Indonesia’s economic recovery over the last several years.
