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MVA attends PATA Travel Mart in Kazakhstan
Marianas Visitors Authority managing director Priscilla M. Iakopo, third from right, leads the Marianas delegation on Sept. 19, 2019, at the Micronesian Pavilion at Pacific Asia Travel Association Travel Mart 2019 in Nur-Saltan, Kazakhstan. Pictured from left are MVA marketing specialist Hillary Agulto, Palau Visitors Authority board member Yumie Morishita, Guam Visitors Bureau’s Kraig Camacho and Karida Brennan, MVA deputy managing director Judy Torres, PVA board chair Ngiraibelas Tmetuchl, PVA’s Alessa Aguon, GVB’s Natalia Anoshkina, and PVA’s Kadoi Ruluked. (MVA)
The Marianas Visitors Authority recently promoted the Marianas at the Pacific Asia Travel Association Travel Mart 2019 in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.
The goal of the travel mart on Sept. 18-20, 2019, was to allow one-on-one business appointments between hundreds of tourism and travel buyers and sellers.
PATA Travel Mart is a “premier travel trade show featuring unparalleled networking and contracting opportunities to help travel and tourism organizations access decisionmakers, meet new clients, expand their networks, establish new relationships and consolidate existing business partnerships,” according to its website.
This year’s event attracted 1,200 delegates from 63 global destinations.
During pre-arranged meetings, MVA managing director Priscilla M. Iakopo led the Marianas marketing delegation in promoting the islands as a convenient destination to the Asian region and as a long-haul destination to the European markets.
“For the last three years, the Marianas has prioritized funding to attend PATA Travel Mart to entice travel buyers to introduce the Marianas to their travel clients,” said Iakopo. “Many travel buyers came through the Marianas booth as walk-ins. They were simply drawn by our destination photos and have said their travel clients are looking to travel to new destinations, and the Marianas is one of them.
“The MVA remains an active member of the PATA Micronesia chapter and has received two PATA Gold Awards in the past, one for our Saipan-da character campaign and, more recently, for the Official Marianas Guide Certification Program,”Iakopo added. “Our participation in PATA Travel Mart is an excellent opportunity to grow our professional capacity and industry contacts throughout Asia-Pacific and the world.”
Iakopo, along with the chairman of the Palau Visitors Authority’s board of directors, was also interviewed for the PATA Travel Mart feature of TTG Daily, a print and digital publication providing live, daily coverage of major travel industry events. (MVA)
