PATA Perplexed

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The Pacific Asia Travel Association Canada Chapter is scratching its head as to why a “world-class” line-up of presenters failed to entice Toronto-area travel agents to a planned event in suburban Toronto this week (March 30), reports Ian Stalker in this week’s digital edition of Travel Courier.

PATA announced March 15 that it had cancelled its PATA eXchange, which was to have included a presentation by TripAdvisor and had what chapter executive-director Barbara Dirnberger described as a weighty gathering of tourist board, airline, tour operator and technology company representatives planning to attend.

The setback has led PATA to wonder if it should “scale back” its efforts in the Toronto area in the short term, focusing on other parts of the country where interest is stronger.

Dirnberger told Travel Courier that she and her colleagues are now trying to determine why agents weren’t registering.

“This is the question we have all asked ourselves,” she said. “Was it the wrong date or the wrong venue?”
eXchange was slated to be held in what Dirnberger describes as a “state-of-the-art facility” in the west end of Toronto.

For the full story, check out this week’s digital edition of Travel Courier by clicking here.