N.Z. delegation’s success

Press, 22 February 1982, Page 6

N.Z. delegation’s success

From Les Bloxham Bangkok New Zealand's eight member delegation to the annual conference of the Pacific Area Travel Association will return home from Thailand today more than pleased with its efforts in Bangkok during the last week. Not only has the delegation managed to secure P.A.T.A's 1985 Annual Conference for Auckland, but also three smaller P.A.T.A. meetings which are expected to attract some 200 top delegates from the world's tourism industry to New Zealand later this year. The first will be the South Pacific regional conference to be held in Auckland early in July. That will be followed by a meeting of P.A.T.A's

development authority at a location and time still to be fixed. Then in September P.A.T.A.’s board will hold in Auckland one of its three meetings for the year.

“Our aim is to ensure that P.A.T.A. works for New Zealand: I believe it is doing just that,” said the chairman of the New Zealand Chapter, Mr. Neil Plimmer, before leaving Bangkok. Mr Plimmer is also general manager of the tourist and Publicity Department.

“If it was not working to the benefit of New Zealand there would be no point in our continuing to belong,” he said.

It was important for New Zealand to be visible at large tourism conferences, said Mr Plimmer.

“We have been very visible in Bangkok with our successful bid for the 1985 annual conference and the three minor, meetings set down for this "year- as well as our successes in the P.A.T.A. promotional awards. This conference has been one of the best from New Zealand’s-, point of view,” he said. The conference ended: at?' 1 the week-end with colourful closing ceremonies at Chiang. Mai and Pattaya where delegates had divided for two workshop sessions. Armed police escorted the

convoy of 12 buses from Bangkok to Pattaya and back as a safeguard against terrorists who have been active in the south in recent months. The other delegates flew to Chiang Mai.