Well, its been a week now since the PR to launch Pacific Asia Tourism Pty. Ltd. was released. And what a week it has been for the global stock markets!
We now have almost 50 members of the network giving us (a) encouragement that a shared vision exists amongst this wonderful collection of associates of the potential for the business idea and (b) a significant amount of intellectual and professional capacities to offer to the international marketplace for medium to large-scale projects.
A. The updated Capability Statement dated 17 August 2007 is attached.
You’ll note some changes in the format with more focus on photos to showcase the types of international projects we target and the introduction of network communities: Research, Consulting & Future Leaders (now capped at a manageable 10 with a waiting list!)
B. In this communiqué, we welcome to the network:
- Research community: Dr. Michael McGrath, Professor of Information Systems at Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia. Michael has over 20 years experience in the IT industry His current research is focused on the design and development of a decision support system (DSS) designed to allow tourism businesses to project ROI from the specific environmental programs promoted. Michael has authored over 100 refereed journal and conference papers.
- Consultant community: Tara Gujadhur is Director/Founder of the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre, Lao PDR, a private ethnology museum in Luang Prabang with a Lao partner. She actively worked with the Lao people to register a foreign partnership, renovate a heritage building, conduct research in ethnic communities, submitted several successful proposals, designed exhibits, and develop handicrafts. She has extensive pro-poor international tourism project experience.
C. Future Leaders get engaged.
Below are three examples of how Pacific Asia Tourism can and will mentor Future Leaders by introducing and/or engaging their individual engagement in international projects.
Carlos Teuffer is in Mexico on a WWF project and he will be joined next week for four other Pacific Asia Tourism network members for a WWF coastal tourism project workshop in La Paz. Terry De Lacy, Cathay Parsons, Paul Rogers and Steve Noakes will all join up mid next week to contribute to this project focused on the Gulf of California region in Northwest Mexico which includes the major recreation, leisure and tourism centres: Puerto Peñasco, Guaymas / San Carlos, Mazatlán, San Blas, Los Cabos, La Paz, Loreto, y Bahía de los Ángeles.
Chris Audley is off to Vietnam this week to conduct a course on Planning for Sustainable Tourism in Marine Protected Areas – a project organised via the USA Government’s National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration.
Steve Noakes is a co-supervisor for PhD candidate Ms. Le Thi Nhu Hoa at the University of Queensland, whose research topic is “Ecotourism development – the case of Vietnam”. Hoa and Steve worked on a UNDP tender for a Vietnam project last week but were beaten by time (this time!). Hoa is departing shortly for 3 + months of field work back in Vietnam.
D. Positioning Pacific Asia Tourism Pty. Ltd. in the big league.
Steve Noakes & Terry de Lacy will visit Los Angeles next week for a meeting with the President of the world’s largest e-travel community, www.travelmole.com. They will then go onto to DC for meetings with our USA partners, Solimar International, as well as high levels meetings with the World Bank, US AID, National Geographic Society, one of the world’s largest NGOs; Counterpart International, and others.
E. And some nice words about the launch of Pacific Asia Tourism.
SINCERE CONGRATULATIONS!
We certainly hope we can partner with you soon since our main precoccupation of poverty reduction is among the MDGs…!
Fabrice Leclercq
Senior Trade Promotion Adviser
International Trade Centre, Switzerland.
The International Trade Centre (ITC) is the technical cooperation agency of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), whose mission is to support developing and transition economies, and particularly their business sectors, in their efforts to realize their full potential for developing exports and import operations with the ultimate goal of achieving sustainable development.
Dear Steve, Thanks for the Capability Statement – very impressive! We would be honored to have Pacific Asia Tourism Pty as a member of our IIPT Coalition of Partners for World Peace through Tourism.
Louis D’Amore
President & Founder
International Institute for Peace through Tourism, USA
