9 May 2026

The era when PATA recognised the role of robust travel journalism

PATA is marking its 75th anniversary this month with social media posts proudly recapping its glory days. Deserving equal recognition is the critical role of the travel media, especially a monthly magazine called PATA Travel News (PTN). 

PTN was launched at the PATA annual conference in Osaka, Japan, in May 1987, which was also Visit Thailand Year. It complimented TTG Asia, another weekly publication produced under the ownership of the Asian Business Group.

Although it was the “official publication” of PATA, the crack editorial team was given near-total freedom to report (see full names of editorial and marketing teams below). PATA separately produced another newsletter-format publication covering news about its own activities, membership and chapters, which was inserted into the main magazine.

Over the years, the team provided incisive coverage and analysis of the Golden Age of Asia Pacific tourism — from the impact of mass-markets to the rise of ecotourism and adventure travel, women travellers, the influence of technology, the emergence of China, and much more. One far-sighted cover story (reported by me) reflected on the impact of Politics and Tourism, long before geopolitics became a flashpoint. Another (also reported by me) analysed the potential threat of the AIDS pandemic, well before SARS, bird flu and Covid-19 came along.

The quality of travel journalism was made possible by the fact that the pioneering PATA leaders of that era were a cut above the “visionary thought-leaders” of today. They respected the role of a robust, argumentative media and recognised its contribution to raising the intellectual value of the discourse in an operating environment that was changing just as rapidly as it is today.

Here are the covers of many of the editions I worked on until leaving the group in 1992. As a passionate history-buff, I have preserved and digitised most of them. Unfortunately, a few got lost in the floods which hit Bangkok in 2011.

Readers can compare the content to what passes for “travel journalism” today.

PTN Asia-Pacific was discontinued in 1998 after the PATA HQ moved from San Francisco to Bangkok.

1987

1988

1989

1990s