World Expo bid gets boost

A top tourism official in Macau has expressed wishes to see Dubai hosting the World Expo 2020 to further bolster its role as a regional aviation hub and a premier tourist destination. Speaking to WAM ahead of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (Pata) conference 2012, Joao Manuel Costa Antunes, director of Macau Government Tourist Office, who is scheduled to be elected as new chairman of Pata through votes cast by members of association, said he wished all the best for Dubai's bid to host World Expo 2020, speaking very highly of Dubai's role as regional aviation hub and its tourism attractions. The Minister of Tourism Malaysia, Dato' Sri Dr. Ng.Yen Yen, is to announce on April 21 Malaysia's role as the host of Pacific Asia Travel Association (Pata) conference 2012 in the opening ceremony on Saturday. On the sideline of the congress, Pata's aviation committee meeting was held at the Royal Chulan Kuala Lumpur under the chair of Peter Hoslin, head of airline marketing of Abu Dhabi Airports Company(Adac) during which Hoslin mentioned about the Asia-Pacific which is a vital part of the aviation development of the Middle East and airport Hub growth of BKK, KUL, CKG and SIN and how the Middle East carriers including Etihad and Emirates Airlines have diverted traffic from the region. Hoslin, in his capacity as the Panel chairperson took issue with the recent move by European governments to mark up air passenger duty which he said would deal a another blow to air carriers as well as hospitality industries as a whole. In the course of the meeting participated in by air carriers in Asia and other parts of the world, Mr. Hoslin proposed a new framework of business collaboration among air carriers to help inject fresh vigor into tourism and aviation industries which are suffering from global business setback against the backdrop of Eurozone debt crisis and rising oil prices.