DASTA joins PATA Travel Mart 2026 in Kuching, Malaysia (PTM 2026)
"DASTA joins PATA Travel Mart 2026 in Kuching, Malaysia (PTM 2026)"
DASTA representatives joined various activities at PTM2026, namely PATA Knowledge Forum, PATA Executive and Board Member Meeting, PATA Gold Awards Gala Dinner and two-days Travel Mart.
On 18 August 2026, Mr. Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, Director-General, DASTA, joined tourism leaders on the stage at PATA Knowledge Forum as a panelist on “From Vision to Reality: Sustainable Tourism in Action” session, PATA Travel Mart 2026 (PTM 2026) in Kuching, Sarawak, Federation of Malaysia.
Director-General presented DASTA’s roles and responsibilities, and showcased successful case studies of high-valued, sustainable tourism economy in DASTA’s Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism: meaningful, sustainable and creative community-based tourism models. He, along with co-panelists and tourism industry leaders from the Ministry of Tourism and the Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak, the Macao Government Tourism Office and the APAC Booking.com, exchanged best practices and sustainable ideas with attending tourism experts, speakers, and participants in the forum sessions.
In the afternoon, Director-General, in his capacity as a PATA Executive Board Member and PATA Board Member, and accompanying DASTA’s representatives joined other esteemed Board Members at the PATA Board Meeting to support and promote meaningful and regenerative tourism in Pacific Asia tourism economy, fostering innovation, collaboration and adaptability in the region.
DASTA, as a PATA Board Member, was one of the lead organizations in supporting and promoting sustainable and meaningful tourism in Thailand and Asia-Pacific region. Together in the room were participating Board Members from all sectors, including public organizations, private companies, academic institutions and other tourism-related partner organizations across Asia-Pacific destinations.
In the evening, DASTA representatives joined the PATA Gold Awards 2026 and PTM GALA Dinner, sponsored by Macao Government Tourism Office, to receive the PATA Gold Awards and to strengthen the partnerships with participating PATA members, tourism leaders, and experts from across the globe.
On 19 - 20 August 2026, DASTA team joined PATA Travel Mart’s 2-day business matching event, promoting DASTA’s successful sustainable community-based tourism (CBT) models, new tourism routes, and development tools from its Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism in its exhibition. Other than various development tools and CBT route recommendations, DASTA also brought visitors to experience eco-friendly, CBT "Trash to Trend" activity at its booth.
The "Trash to Trend" activity is a tourism activity from youth group in Song Khanong, Samut Prakan Province, Thailand, which located in DASTA's Khung Bang Kachao Designated Area for Sustainable Tourism. Supported and guided by DASTA, the local youths recycled plastic waste materals and reproposed them into creative, trendy and marketable keychains and accessories as unique souvenirs and hand-one tourism activity, generating income to local ecomony and empowering local youths. Visitors were welcome to freely join the activity by choosing, decorating and creating thier own one-of-a-kind keychain to bring home as a souvenir. (More on the activity: here)
Awarded with PATA Gold Award 2026 in the Youth Empowerment Initiative, the "Trash to Trend" project was one of the interesting and must-experience DIY activity of Song Khanong.
[Each bag packed with different beads and charms made from recycled bootle caps, and hand-painted recycled plastic food boxes by local youths in Song Khanong, telling the story of Khung Bang Kachao]
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