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.