PATA forum discusses “Discovering Opportunities in Tough Times”

The Business Forum under the topic “Discovering Opportunities in Tough Times” – the summit of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Annual Meeting – was held today at the MGM Grand Macau with close to 200 participants, including speakers, guests and media. PATA invited around 20 speakers, among tourism industry personalities and academics to discuss the problems and trends of the development of the tourism industry in the Asia Pacific region. The key guest speakers were General Manager of Visa China Sheng Li and Google Inc. vice president of sales for Greater China region John Liu. Former CNN presenter Lorraine Hahn moderated the forum. Sheng Li oversees all aspects of Visa’s business in China. Prior to his appointment as General Manager, Sheng was Head of Marketing for China. In this role he was instrumental in putting together Visa’s marketing campaign for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Sheng has also worked at Visa’s headquarters in the San Francisco Bay Area where he was responsible for global sponsorship marketing strategy development, among others. Sheng Li is originally from Beijing. Prior to join Visa, Sheng Li worked in Asia, Europe and the U.S. with companies such as Nike and IMG. John Liu joined Google in 2008. He oversees Google’s sales and business development in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Liu was awarded "Ten Outstanding IT Business Leaders of China" in 2006. Prior to joining Google, he served six years at SK Telecom as its CEO and President in China. Liu completed both his Master’s degree in Operation Research in 1992 and PhD in Telecommunication Network Management in 1994 at the Technical University of Denmark. PATA Chairwoman Phornsiri Manoharn, PATA president and chief executive officer Gregory Duffell and Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) director, João Manuel Costa Antunes, also spoke at the Business Forum. The organizers invited international, Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau media to report on the event, and a media center was set up at the MGM Grand Macau. The day ended with a dinner hosted by Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Chui Sai On, to the participants of the PATA Annual Meeting. PATA is the most influential tourism association in the Asia Pacific. MGTO joined PATA in 1966. PATA’s membership includes nearly 100 government, state and city tourism bodies, more than 55 airlines and cruise lines, and hundreds of travel industry companies. In addition, thousands of travel professionals belong to a global network of PATA chapters. For more information about PATA, please go to: www.pata.org This press release is available at: www.macautourism.gov.mo