PATA Forum Puts Phetchaburi on Culinary Map

PATA Forum Highlights Phetchaburi's Gastronomic Treasures

Held from November 12–14 at the Dusit Thani Hua Hin in Phetchaburi Province, Thailand, the PATA Destination Marketing Forum 2024 (PDMF 2024) promoted the province as a perfect location for international conferences, emphasized its status as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, and encouraged closer cooperation between the province, major tourism organizations, and local stakeholders. This accomplishment supports the promotion of secondary and tertiary cities as MICE destinations, which is the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) goal.

With assistance from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) organized the event in collaboration with Phetchaburi Province, TCEB, and the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA). The PDMF 2024 topic, "Authentic Prosperous Journeys: Nurturing Culture, Culinary Delights, and Community Wisdom," examined tourism's effects beyond economic expansion. The workshop focused on community-based tourism (CBT) and explored how it benefits local communities, creates jobs preserves culture, and helps national and provincial governments work together to promote tourism.

“The theme of this year’s forum captures the essence of what meaningful tourism is,” PATA Chair Peter Semone remarked in his welcome speech during the event's opening ceremony.

“Tourism today must extend beyond mere economic growth to embrace the environmental and socio-cultural aspects of tourism, creating a positive ripple effect in the communities that host us. The value of tourism lies not only in the revenue it generates but in its power to create jobs, protect culture, support environmental preservation, and foster a shared economy that lifts all members of a community.” Mr. Semone also extended his sincere appreciation to all partners, commending their invaluable contributions to the event’s success.

Wanpen Mungsri, Deputy Governor and acting Governor of Phetchaburi Province said, “Under the theme Authentic Prosperous Journeys: Nurturing Culture, Culinary Delights, and Community Wisdom, PATA Destination Marketing Forum focuses on destinations that possess the potential to showcase unique cultural heritage, local culinary strengths, and community-driven local wisdom that can create meaningful travel experiences for participants, foster sustainable prosperity, and promote tourism growth while preserving natural resources and traditional cultural assets. This aligns with global tourism trends prioritising community involvement, sustainable development, eco-friendly practices, and addressing climate change. Most importantly, Thailand and the Asia Pacific region will strive toward stable, prosperous, and sustainable growth, leaving no one behind.

“For this PATA Forum, we are proud to bring to you Phetchaburi province, a gem of the Gulf of Thailand offering a fine blend of arts-craft- culture-nature and gastronomy,” said Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, President, TCEB.

“The mentioned wealth of nature and cultural treasures have attracted TCEB to work with the city for the past several years aimed to make Phetchaburi a MICE-capable destination, being able to turn those high-value offerings into competitive, unique selling points of MICE destination. With all your support, Phetchaburi and Thailand will help boost MICE value to benefit our whole industry and, more importantly, bring local communities into our value chain.”

Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, Deputy Governor for International Marketing Europe America Middle East and Africa, TAT, said “This forum holds special significance, as it brings together some of the brightest minds and most passionate advocates in destination marketing. We’re not here merely to discuss tourism trends; we are here to define them. Our conversations and insights over the coming days will lay the groundwork for nurturing cultural heritage, culinary traditions, and strong community bonds—elements that make each destination not only unique but also resilient.”

Gp. Capt Athikun Kongmee, Director General, DASTA, said, “DASTA places importance on tourism development, which generates local income, enhances employment opportunities, and improves the sustainability of local livelihoods. The challenges of sustainable tourism development include ensuring that income derived from tourism is distributed to all stakeholders and contributes to the community’s quality of life and well-being. DASTA is proud to be a co-host of PDMF 2024 in organizing the technical tours for authentic destination experiences in Phetchaburi Province; DASTA’s incorporation with the Province and all relevant sectors has driven Phetchaburi Province to become a member city of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) – City of Gastronomy in 2021.”

Tour Routes organized by DASTA

On November 13, delegates participated in one of three tour routes organized by DASTA and its partners to highlight Phetchaburi's community-driven tourism. The trips' highlights included visiting famous sites, producing seasonal salt, creating traditional Thai shadow puppets, and getting hands-on experience cooking regional cuisine. As part of the "Phetchaburi in Focus: Social Media Contest," delegates were invited to share their experiences on social media. The winners were revealed during the conference.

The next day, participants participated in conference sessions facilitated by leaders in the tourism industry, local authorities, and experts from various disciplines, such as digital marketing, marine biology, culinary arts, and renewable energy. The National Food Institute (NFI), the Nepal Tourism Board, the Palau Visitors Authority, the Sabah Tourism Board, the Sarawak Tourism Board, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, the Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia, and others represented the public sector. E-Tourism Frontiers, Intrepid Travel, OAG, and Thailand.org were among the private sector representatives.

Community vs. Tourism, "Embracing Cultural Heritage: A Journey Through Music and Tradition", "Community-Driven Sustainability: Building a Future Through Responsible Development", "Street Food: Balancing Tradition and Hygiene", and "Why Legacy Matters for MICE" are among the topics covered.

One of the forum's main highlights was a set of lectures that highlighted Phetchaburi's three flavours and were given by Arnon Wongchiang, an instructor at the Faculty of Management Science, Management Hotel and Lodging, Silpakorn University. The origins of Phetchaburi's salt, toddy palm sugar, and lime, as well as their production methods and various uses beyond just flavour, were explained to the delegates in each session. Some attendees were allowed to sample a margarita prepared with these regional Phetchaburi ingredients to enhance the experience even more.

Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Chinese Taipei, Gibraltar, Hong Kong (SAR), India, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Macao, China, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Oman, Palau, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, and the United States were among the 26 countries in the Asia Pacific and beyond that sent more than 370 delegates to the event.