PATA forum concludes

PATA forum concludes
with peace tourism drive

By I. Christianto 10 pt ML

SEOUL (JP): The 43rd annual conference of the Pacific Asia
Travel Association (PATA) concluded here yesterday with a call
for countries all over the world to promote tourism as the
business of peace.

Indonesian Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications
Joop Ave, who was appointed yesterday as the new chairman of PATA
to replace Roland Cobbold, said participants of the three-day
conference called upon all nations to recognize the travel
industry as an institution for free movement of people across
borders and as a potent force for world peace.

PATA is a pioneering agent of peace, he said.

The conference closed here last night with a gala dinner at
the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

Joop said the organization is appealing to governments all
over the world to guarantee the safety of visiting tourists, who
offer foreign exchange earnings for them.

He said the conference decided to hold its 44th annual
conference in Auckland, New Zealand, on April 23-27, 1995, with
the theme "Profiting through Responsibility."

In the same month, PATA will also hold a Travel Mart in
Sydney, Australia, and a Chapter World Congress on Fiji in the
South Pacific.

RI-Korea

Meanwhile, Indonesian Director General of Tourism Andi Mappi
Sammeng, who accompanied Joop at the conference, told The Jakarta
Post that the Indonesian and South Korean governments have agreed
to promote cooperation in the tourism industry.

"The two governments aim at increasing the frequency of
flights between their countries to facilitate the traveling of
their people," he said.

Korean Airlines serves the Seoul-Jakarta route three times a
week, while Garuda Indonesia serves the route five times weekly.

Improved flight services are expected to boost tourism between
the two countries, Andi said.

Almost 85,000 South Koreans visited Indonesia in 1992, while
more than 28,000 Indonesians toured South Korea.