The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) kicked off its 2026 Travel Mart (PTM) on 18 August at the Sheraton Kuching in Sarawak, Malaysia, with a Knowledge Forum that set the tone for the week's business sessions. The forum served as a strategic briefing for PATA members on the trends and challenges reshaping Asia Pacific tourism, from shifting consumer behaviour to the accelerating adoption of artificial intelligence.
This year's gathering carries extra significance as PATA celebrates its 75th anniversary. In his opening remarks, newly elected PATA chairman Henry Oh underscored the association's enduring role in connecting the region's travel industry. "For three quarters of a century, PATA has brought people together across Asia Pacific and beyond to share knowledge, build relationships, and strengthen tourism," he said. "Tourism is evolving rapidly, driven by changing commerce, experimentation, technology, and shifting markets. It needs to create lasting value for destinations and communities."
Sarawak positions itself as a hub for meaningful travel
For Sarawak Tourism Board chief executive Dr Sharzede Salleh Askor, hosting PTM 2026 in Kuching is a deliberate move to put the state's communities and destinations at the centre of the global travel conversation. "PTM brings the global travel media and travel trade directly to Sarawak, creating opportunities for our local tourism businesses, entrepreneurs, and communities to engage face-to-face with buyers and decision-makers from around the world," she said.
Askor expressed optimism that the week's dialogues would translate into concrete outcomes: new partnerships, innovative travel products, and stronger market access for Sarawak's tourism players. "More importantly, we hope they will encourage visitors to travel beyond our main gateways, stay longer, explore further, and discover the many stories that make Sarawak truly unique," she added.
The Knowledge Forum's agenda covered progressive growth, future leadership, AI, and digital transformation, alongside the role of communities and culture in shaping the contemporary travel experience. These themes reflect a broader industry shift toward regenerative tourism, a concept that PATA is championing through its new audiovisual series, Pacific Asia: Tourism with Purpose.
Scheduled to launch on 8 September via a dedicated microsite and social channels, the series is produced in collaboration with Content with Purpose. It profiles eight initiatives across the region that are redefining what meaningful tourism looks like, from community-led conservation projects to tech-enabled visitor management systems.
The forum concluded with the signing of two memoranda of understanding. PATA formalised a partnership with TOP25 Restaurants, represented by founder Bernard Metzger, and with the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), represented by senior director for APAC Elle Ng Damarwan. These agreements signal PATA's intent to broaden its reach beyond traditional tourism stakeholders into the food and business travel sectors.
As PTM 2026 gets underway, the focus will be on matchmaking between buyers and sellers, with Sarawak's tourism board hoping to convert the event's global exposure into long-term itinerary inclusion. The state has been investing heavily in infrastructure and marketing to position itself as a gateway to Borneo's natural and cultural attractions, and this week's mart is a key part of that strategy.
For travel professionals, the mart offers a chance to gauge the region's recovery momentum and emerging priorities. With PATA's 75th anniversary as a backdrop, the conversations in Kuching are likely to shape how the association and its members approach the next phase of Asia Pacific tourism development.
