The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) announced that the founding of the Twin Cities World Tourism Association (TCWTA) will take place during PATA Travel Mart 2018 (PTM 2018) in Langkawi, Malaysia from September 12-14.
Dr Mario Hardy, CEO, PATA, said, “PATA assists destinations around the world in the development of a responsible and sustainable tourism industry and it is only through cooperation and mutually beneficial partnerships that destinations can achieve such goals. The Twin Cities World Tourism Association’s mission is in line with our activities and PATA Travel Mart is the perfect occasion to launch this initiative.”
Twin cities, also known as sister cities, are collaborations between two cities to foster friendship and understanding between different cultures and to form strategic international business links between them. The TCWTA aims to support and increase tourism and travel between twin cities, support and increase the exchange of ideas and concepts related to tourism and travel between sister cities, and enhance and strengthen relations between twin sisters through tourism and travel.
During PTM 2018, the founding president, Mr Thomas Binder, Mayor of Gossau-Zurich in Switzerland, will formally announce the foundation of the TCWTA at the Twin Cities World Tourism Forum taking place inside the exhibition hall.
Furthermore, a board of 14 members will be appointed during this time. The board will consist of 13 mayors from countries from all over the world while Mr Hüseyin Baraner, being the only non-mayor member, will be appointed as its general secretary. This board will meet once a year in the city of the president to exchange ideas, concepts, and plans. A meeting of the board will also be held in Zürich or Gossau at a later date in order to sign the charter of the TCWTA.
TCWTA also plans to publish a ‘Twin Cities Almanac’ to be presented at ITB Berlin, which will include an editorial note of the president, reports on the tourism and travel activities of twin cities, and interviews with mayors of twin cities on topics like desiderata, plans, projects and the tourism development of twin cities.
The TCWTA president plans to visit a developing country in Africa or Asia once a year in order to research opportunities to take part in projects to further and support tourism and travel in twin cities located in regions without large financial funds.