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9 Aug, 2012

High-Level Asia Pacific Digital Travel Forum Set For Bangkok on Aug 30

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BANGKOK – Travel technology will be in the spotlight at the first Asia Pacific Digital Travel Forum to be held in Bangkok, Thailand on August 30, 2012 at The Landmark Hotel Bangkok.

With the advent of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015, growth in the travel and tourism industry will be increasingly driven by state of the art technology as more and more public and private organisations invest in enhancing their digital capabilities to build effective online sales and marketing networks across the region and the world.

“There has never been a more compelling opportunity for the tourism industry to bolster its digital capabilities than with the advent of the AEC in 2015,” said Apichai Sakulsureeyadej, President of Tourism Technology Association, co-hosts of the event. Bringing hundreds of top level buyers and sellers from across Asia Pacific, the Forum was launched after the success of the ASEAN ETRAVEL MART held last year.

“No tourism player, big or small, could afford to miss the opportunity to build their digital capabilities and train their staff in new technologies.

The ASEAN Economic Community will become the tourism epicentre of the entire Asia Pacific Region, with 10 of the most popular tourism destinations in the world as core members. The Asia Pacific Digital Travel Forum is an unprecedented platform to drive the digitalisation of the tourism industry because it will bring together tomorrow’s leaders and set a chart for future tourism prosperity,” Apichai said.

Supported by the United Nations World Travel Organization and the Pacific Asia Travel Association, the Forum will also feature a one-day conference which will give participants the chance to hear leading tourism technology experts who are at the cutting edge of online tourism.

“The tourism industry has always been an early adopter of new technologies, and the Asia Pacific Digital Travel Forum is the ideal venue for forward-thinking executives from airlines, hotels, travel web sites, national tourism offices, booking and electronic payment platforms, and other key areas of the industry to converge to share their knowledge and define the future of online tourism,” Mr Apichai added.

He said social media including Facebook and Twitter had become integral to online tourism because they and similar sites represented instant access to millions of potential customers and tourists.

“One of the formidable challenges of the forthcoming ASEAN Economic Community is the need for each member country to be fully prepared, which means intensive training for staff on all levels to prepare them for the Community and the borderless opportunities that will open up. It is also essential for companies and tourism associations and bodies to be prepared for ever more intensive competition in the region and beyond,” said Apichai.

Participants of the Asia Pacific Digital Travel Forum will have a full schedule of interactive meetings. It is epected that long-term trade relationships will be enhanced as like-minded tourism industry executives gather.

Full details and Registration of the Forum are available at http://www.digitaltravelforum.com