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More flights needed for growth, says tourism expertPATA chief speaks to tourism experts at leading tourism forum at the Kensington Jeju Hotel
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¡ã Mario Hardy says source-market diversification is the key to sustainability. Photo courtesy PATA
At the Inter-Islands Tourism Policy Forum (ITOP) on Oct 5, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) CEO Mario Hardy told tourism experts that diversity is key if Jeju is to retain its place as a top Asian holiday destination.

In an interview before the Forum, Hardy said that Jeju’s tourism industry must look beyond China to other outbound markets:
“A diversification of source market is key to its long-term sustainability,” he said. “It needs to promote itself outside of its key current source markets and further develop direct air connectivity from other Asian gateway cities.”
As head of PATA, Hardy is a leading voice in travel and tourism in the Asia Pacific region and shared PATA’s knowledge and know-how with ITOP members at to help them tackle pressing issues in the tourism industry.
One such issue facing Korea is the need to tap into additional outbound markets.
Last year some 43.9 percent of tourists to the country were from China, compared to 15.8 percent from Japan, 5.5 percent from the US, 4.6 percent from Taiwan and 4 percent from Hong Kong.
The growing middle class in China is driving this growth, says Hardy, facilitated by the number of direct flights to Chinese cities. He adds that he doesn’t expect the recent economic slowdown to change this long-term trend.
“The reality is that the average disposable income in China is increasing by 10 percent year on year, which provides increasing buying power to the population. Should the situation be prolonged, we might see a small slowdown in growth.”
However, Hardy called for more direct flights to gateway Asian cities to ensure “better resilience in a time of crisis.”
To increase marketing penetration and boost visitor numbers, PATA also stresses the need to work with diverse tour operators and utilize both traditional and social media.
Hardy said that diversity and balanced development across the island is crucial to sustainable growth, but residents should be aware of all the consequences of accelerated tourism development.
“It needs to be a coordinated effort from the municipality and in consultation with its residents [so they] understand the benefits that tourism can bring to them as well as the risks.”
A tourism master plan at the municipal level is needed, he says, integrating roads, waste, water and electricity.
“Tourism cannot be developed in isolation - it requires well-coordinated efforts between all parties affected by tourism development.”

¨Ï Jeju Weekly 2009 (http://www.jejuweekly.com)
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