Bangkok (Thailand), February 4, 2016 (travelindex) – Chiang Rai will host the Pacific Asia Travel Association's Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference and Mart (AT&RTCM) 2016 from February 17 to 19. It is the first Asia-Pacific travel conference to be held in this northern tourist destination.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) supports this landmark event to demonstrate the readiness of secondary destinations to welcome international tourists.

AT&RTCM, which previously took place in Nepal and Bhutan, is positioning Chiang Rai this year as an emerging destination for sustainable adventure tourism and community-based tourism.

Under the motto "Creating Experiences, Sharing Opportunities," the three-day event brings together travel industry leaders committed to adventure and sustainable travel. Tourism experts, including many architects of successful adventure and community-based tourism projects in Asia, complete the program with 20 speakers from 10 countries.

Two representatives of the TAT will speak at the event: Mr. Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, Executive Director – Advertising and Public Relations Department, who will speak on “Shared Opportunities: Better Reconstruction After a Disaster”, and Mr. Ben Fleming, Marketing Manager, TAT LA Office, who will speak on “Shared Opportunities: How to Create Effective Cooperative Marketing Campaigns”.

Other topics in the program include: “Creating experiences that challenge, excite and inspire”; “Best practices in responsible tourism from the ASEAN region”; “The inbound marketing handbook”; “The new adventure market: Understanding the Indian and Chinese adventure traveler” and “Crossroads: Adventure and responsible travel off the beaten track”.

The conference and market will take place at the Dusit Island Resort on the banks of the Mae Kok River, which flows through the heart of Chiang Rai city.

Shannon Stowell, president of the US-based Adventure Travel Trade Association, which represents more than 1,000 companies and organizations in 90 countries, will deliver the keynote address at the opening session.

Ms. Juthaporn Rerngronasa, Deputy Governor for International Marketing in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas, said: “This groundbreaking event will help put Thailand at the forefront of environmental protection and sustainability within the tourism industry in the region.”

She noted that the former capital of the Kingdom of Lanna is "in itself a wonderful destination in the heart of the Golden Triangle region" where the Thai border meets the borders of Myanmar and Laos.

In addition to its gentle adventure offerings, Chiang Rai is also a center for the country's renowned royal projects, which focus on improving the quality of life of Thailand's ethnic minorities and hill tribes.

These programs, many of which focus on reforestation, benefit local communities through the development of crops and fruits for cool climates, organic farming, and market garden products.

“The choice of destination reflects the growing importance of distributing tourists across emerging destinations,” said PATA CEO Mario Hardy. “The challenge lies in balancing tourism growth with sustainable development. This is one of the many important topics we will be discussing at the tourism trade show.”

He pointed out that the UNWTO World Report on Adventure Tourism now estimates the value of the global adventure travel market at US$263 billion.

"Adventure travel is one of the fastest growing tourism sectors, especially among Asian travelers who want to broaden their horizons through an adventure holiday."

To fully exploit this sales potential, the B2B market component will bring together 27 individual organizations from 10 countries on Friday, February 19: Brunei, Cambodia, India, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Republic of Palau, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

They will be conducting meetings with 33 international travel buyers from 20 countries, including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, China, Finland, France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States and Thailand.

Delegates can also take advantage of a range of tours and excursions, including Wat Rong Khun–Singha Park, a boat trip on the Mae Kok River with elephant riding, the Hill Peoples Museum (The Lorcha Akha Villages – Thailand Tourism Award), a bike tour, a Doi Tung coffee factory, a day hike to the hill tribes and an elephant camp.