The following awards were presented on Saturday, October 7 during the PATA Board Dinner and Awards Presentation hosted by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India: PATA Life Membership and PATA Face of the Future Award.

“The PATA Board Dinner taking place after PATA Travel Mart 2023 is the perfect opportunity to recognise industry professionals that have contributed to the responsible development of the travel and tourism industry. This year’s recipients embody the spirit of collaboration and cooperation that is essential to the success of the industry,” said PATA Chair Peter Semone. “I would like to congratulate the winners for their valuable contributions and also thank them for their continued support to both PATA and the travel and tourism industry.”

The PATA Life Membership was awarded to Ms. Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director, Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), Macao, China. The award is the Association’s highest individual honour and recognises significant leadership and invaluable dedication to PATA.

The 2023 PATA Face of the Future award was presented to Ms Sangeetha Liyanapathirana, Manager – Health, Hygiene and Sustainability at Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts. This award is presented annually to an exceptional ‘rising star’ in the industry, having exhibited initiative and leadership in the advancement of tourism as well as demonstrating a commitment to the sustainable development of the Asia Pacific travel industry in line with PATA’s mission. It is the most prestigious honour for young tourism professional in the Asia Pacific region.

About PATA
Founded in 1951, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a not-for-profit membership association that acts as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its member organisations, which includes government, state and city tourism bodies; international airlines and airports; hospitality organisations, and educational institutions, as well as thousands of young tourism professional (YTP) members across the world. The PATA network also embraces the grassroots activism of the PATA Chapters and Student Chapters, who organise numerous travel industry training programmes and business development events across the world. Thousands of travel professionals belong to the 32 local PATA Chapters worldwide, while hundreds of students are members of the 28 PATA Student Chapters globally. The PATAmPOWER platform delivers unrivalled data, forecasts and insights from the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre to members’ desktops and mobile devices anywhere in the world. PATA’s Head Office has been in Bangkok since 1998. The Association also has an official office in Beijing. Visit www.PATA.org.