The PATA Adventure Travel Conference and Mart 2020 that began on 12 February in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia has attracted 368 delegates from 33 destinations in attendance for the three-day niche event with international delegates comprising 40% of the total.

Encompassing a one-day-travel mart and one-day conference, the B2B trade mart today will welcome 51 seller organisations from nine destinations and 45 buyer organisations from 21 source markets.

The event, which is organised by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and hosted by Tourism Malaysia and supported by Sabah Tourism and Malaysia Airlines, brought together international experts at the forefront of the adventure travel industry to explore the nuances, trends and dynamics of one of the fastest-growing tourism sectors.

YB Datuk Mohamaddin bin Ketapi, minister of tourism, arts and culture in Malaysia said: “We are very pleased to be given the honour to host PATA this year, whose theme ‘Authenticity and Sustainability in Adventure’ is in line with our aspirations to highlight Malaysia’s outdoor and adventure attractions to cater to the growing adventure tourism market while adhering to responsible travel initiatives.”

“I would like to sincerely thank all our delegates and speakers for joining us in Malaysia to discuss, analyse and share their various ideas in planning, building and promoting a responsible travel and tourism industry, particularly during the current coronavirus crises,” said Dr. Mario Hardy, CEO of PATA.