Bangkok (Thailand) – October 3, 2019 (travelindex.com) – The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is pleased to announce that PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy has been named “Travel Personality of the Year” at the 30th annual TTG Travel Awards 2019.

The award was presented to Dr. Hardy on Thursday, September 26, in the World Ballroom of the Centara Grand Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand.

Upon accepting the award, Dr. Hardy told the audience: “When I joined PATA several years ago, my primary goal was to ensure the financial stability and relevance of the association. Thanks to the support of the dedicated staff and valued PATA members, I am proud to say that we have made great strides in achieving this goal. I am deeply honored and grateful for this award and the recognition as a leader who has significantly shaped the industry.”

“It is a pleasure for me to celebrate this award with the staff of PATA, because they are the true champions who share my vision and support my mission to guide the association,” he added.

About the TTG Travel Awards: Since 1989, the TTG Travel Awards have recognized the best in the Asia-Pacific travel industry. This prestigious annual event honors outstanding organizations and individuals in four categories: Tour Operators, Travel Agencies, Special Achievements, and Travel Hall of Fame. Presented by TTG Travel Trade Publishing, the event is proudly organized by TTG Asia and with the support of TTG China, TTG India, TTG mice, TTG-BTmice China, the TTG Associations, and TTG Asia Luxury.

About PATA: Founded in 1951, PATA is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to the responsible development of travel and tourism in, from, and within the Asia-Pacific region. The organization provides coordinated advocacy, in-depth research, and innovative events to its more than 800 member organizations, including 95 national, regional, and municipal tourism authorities; 20 international airlines and airports; 102 hospitality companies; 70 educational institutions; and over 100 Young Tourism Professionals (YTPs) worldwide. The PATA network also supports the grassroots work of PATA chapters and student chapters, which organize numerous training programs and business development events for the travel industry around the globe. Thousands of travel professionals belong to the 35 local PATA chapters worldwide, while hundreds of students are members of the 22 PATA student chapters. The platform <a href="pata.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=40516b5a300441f576f4dca37&id=b9b3afe562&e=7aaebd6022&quot; target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="www.google.com/url?q=" delivers unparalleled data, forecasts, and insights from the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre to the desktop computers and mobile devices of members worldwide. PATA has been headquartered in Bangkok since 1998. The association also maintains official offices or representatives in Beijing and London.