Pacific-Asia Tourism CEO Says Global Vaccine Equity Is Key to Recovery

From the start of the pandemic, the Pacific and Asia region took a separate trajectory from the rest of the world. Longer lasting border closures and a stricter approach towards Covid control, as well as a delay in vaccine access in some parts, have translated into a distinct tourism recovery picture.

Northeast Asia, South East Asia and South Asia were particularly hard hit in 2021, with international arrivals totalling less than 10 percent the volume of 2019, according to the Pacific Asia Travel Association, and trailing the Americas’ recovery pace.

Some destinations have been reopening slowly since last year, from Thailand to Fiji, and the process continues to evolve unevenly thanks to Omicron and unequal vaccination rates. Despite the challenges, however, the region's tourism industry remains optimistic about an eventual rebound.

Liz Ortiguera, CEO of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) since June 2021, told Skift that expediting the recovery means continuing to prepare PATA’s members in adopting best practices for the return of travelers and helping them tap into new markets, but it also means prioritizing advocating for vaccine equity.   

“No one is safe until everyone's safe, and awareness on that needs to be raised,” Ortiguera told Skift. PATA launched a Global Travel Sector Vaccine Coalition in December 2021, in partnership with the Virgin Atlantic Foundation, making it the first travel association to formally advocate for vaccine equity and call on the global tourism industry to act.

Skift caught up with Ortiguera about the Pacific Asia region’s tourism recovery ahead, and her vision to expedite recovery in an equitable manner. Below is an edited version of the interview.

Lebawit Lily Girma: As Asia’s patchwork restart continues — what is the biggest challenge that's facing your members right now, and how are you working to accelerate Asia's broader recovery and reopening?  

Liz Ortiguera: Asia Pacific is so diverse in the size, the shape and the composition of its member nations, and from the beginnin