The Pacific Asia Travel Association and the China Chamber of Tourism signed a Memorandum of Understanding on May 13, 2026, at the PATA Annual Summit 2026 in Gyeongju, South Korea, establishing a formal bilateral cooperation framework covering sustainable tourism development, rural revitalisation, and joint global marketing. The agreement, concluded during PATA’s 75th anniversary year, places the China Chamber of Tourism within the association’s formal partnership architecture and extends the collaboration to include active promotion of the PATA Gold Awards within China’s private tourism sector.
Key Facts At A Glance
- MoU signed: May 13, 2026, at the Hwangryongwon International Convention Center, Gyeongju, Republic of Korea
- Signatories: Noor Ahmad Hamid, CEO, Pacific Asia Travel Association; Guoliang Wu, Secretary-General, China Chamber of Tourism
- Witnesses: Henry Oh, PATA Chair; Ji Xiaodong, CCT Chairman
- Summit dates: May 11 to 13, 2026, across Lahan Hotel, Pohang, and HICO, Gyeongju
- Delegates: over 550 from more than 35 destinations
- Partnership priority areas: sustainable tourism development, rural revitalisation, global marketing initiatives
- Collaboration scope: co-organised events, training programmes, joint marketing activities, industry report publication, knowledge exchange
- Additional commitment: CCT to promote PATA Gold Awards and recommend Chinese enterprises for consideration
- Context: PATA’s 75th anniversary year; association founded in 1951
A Formal Architecture For A Long-Standing Connection
The PATA Annual Summit 2026, held across the cities of Gyeongju and Pohang in South Korea’s Gyeongsangbuk-do Province from May 11 to 13, drew more than 550 delegates from over 35 destinations. The event was co-hosted by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, the cities of Gyeongju and Pohang, and the Gyeongsangbuk-do Culture and Tourism Organization. Senior government figures in attendance included DaeHyun Kim, Vice Minister of Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; SungHyeuck Park, President of the Korea Tourism Organization; and MyuongSuk Hwang, Acting Governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do.
The MoU signing on the summit’s final day was the most consequential formal outcome of the three-day programme. PATA CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid, speaking following the signing, said: “China has been part of our journey since the early years of the Association, so it is especially meaningful to formalise this partnership during our 75th anniversary. I extend my gratitude to our new partner, the China Chamber of Tourism, and I look forward to working closely with them on new projects and initiatives in the future.”
CCT Chairman Ji Xiaodong said: “It is our great honor to formally establish a strategic partnership with the Pacific Asia Travel Association on the occasion of PATA’s 75th anniversary. China and the Asia-Pacific region enjoy close tourism exchanges and broad prospects. Focusing on sustainable tourism, rural revitalization and global marketing, the two sides will deepen exchanges and cooperation, share development experience, jointly promote the high-quality and sustainable development of tourism in China and the Asia-Pacific region, and inject new impetus into the prosperity of global tourism industry.”
What The Partnership Establishes
The MoU creates a framework for bilateral and multilateral cooperation structured around three primary priority areas: sustainable tourism development, rural revitalisation, and joint global marketing initiatives. Under the agreement, PATA and the China Chamber of Tourism will co-organise industry events, develop training programmes for tourism professionals, conduct joint marketing and promotional activities, and publish industry reports for international audiences. The partnership also provides for the ongoing exchange of knowledge and best practices between the two organisations.
A notable element of the agreement is its reach into industry recognition. The China Chamber of Tourism has committed to actively promoting the PATA Gold Awards within China’s private tourism sector and to recommending outstanding Chinese enterprises and projects for consideration under the awards programme. The PATA Gold Awards are among the Asia-Pacific travel industry’s most established recognition mechanisms, covering categories spanning environment, heritage, education, and marketing. Extending CCT’s promotional reach into China’s private sector could meaningfully broaden the awards’ applicant base and visibility in one of the region’s largest source markets.
A 75th Anniversary With Institutional Weight
The summit’s three-day programme extended well beyond the MoU signing. On May 11 and the morning of May 12, PATA convened a series of leadership discussions covering the future of the visitor economy, including an Industry Roundtable, Education Roundtable, and PATA Policy Forum. These ran alongside governance meetings including the Executive Board Meeting, Board Meeting, and the Annual General Meeting, where leadership discussed PATA’s strategic priorities for the period ahead.
On May 13, the final day of the summit, PATA also unveiled its new Microcredentials Programme, designed to provide tourism professionals with accessible, expert-led learning pathways in digital transformation, sustainability, and emerging technologies. The programme is positioned to support workforce development across the Asia-Pacific tourism industry as the sector navigates rapid structural change.
The 75th anniversary dimension of the summit added institutional weight to the proceedings. PATA was founded in 1951 and has operated as one of the primary regional bodies for tourism policy, research, and industry cooperation across Asia-Pacific since that year. Hamid, speaking at the summit’s opening, noted that the association’s founding vision had been to shape tourism development in one of the world’s most dynamic regions, and that the anniversary represented an opportunity to assess that legacy while setting the direction for the following decade.