Tourism | MGTO director made voting member of travel group board

Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, the director of the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO), was elected on Saturday to serve as a voting member of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Executive Board during the 2016 PATA Annual Summit in Guam.
Senna Fernandes, who previously served on the board as an invited non-voting representative, now joins as one of the 12 voting members for a two-year term.
“My new responsibilities in PATA are a great honor for Macau tourism and also an endorsement [of] our efforts throughout the years to support the association’s endeavor to foster sustainable tourism development in the Asia-Pacific region,” she said, according to a statement from the MGTO.

Senna Fernandes, PATA CEO Mario Hardy (center) and outgoing chairman Kevin Murphy (2nd right) with Macau delegates

The PATA Executive Board determines the industry policies and positions of the organization, serving as its governing body. It is also responsible for governing the corporate affairs and operations of the travel association.
Hosted by the Guam Visitors Bureau, the PATA Annual Summit 2016 saw around 640 participants from 33 countries and territories attend the conference last week on the Pacific island of Guam.
According to a statement from the MGTO, Senna Fernandes attended several association meetings last week, including a one-day conference titled “Exploring the Secrets of the Blue Continent” and a half-day “Ministerial Debate on Pacific Island Tourism,” which was jointly run by PATA and the United Nations World Trade Organization.
Founded in 1951, PATA is a non-profit membership association dedicated to building responsible tourism development in the Asia-Pacific region. Macau has been a member of the organization since 1958.