The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) have joined forces to strengthen the corporate business travel component of PATA Travel Mart (PTM) 2027, scheduled to take place in Macao from September 20 to 22, 2027.
The partnership was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on August 18 during the PTM Knowledge Forum at PTM 2026 in Kuching, Sarawak. Under the agreement, GBTA will serve as the Strategic Corporate Travel Partner for the 2027 edition.
The collaboration is expected to bring GBTA’s international network of corporate travel buyers, procurement professionals and travel managers into PATA’s Asia-Pacific tourism marketplace. The two organisations will work together on programme development, corporate buyer mobilisation, knowledge exchange and targeted business-to-business engagement.
As part of the partnership, GBTA will contribute to the development and delivery of corporate business travel content for the PTM Knowledge Forum. It will also leverage its professional network and communication platforms to encourage qualified corporate buyers to participate in the event.
PATA, meanwhile, will facilitate the participation of qualified corporate buyers through its established hosted buyer qualification and approval procedures.
The organisations also plan to undertake joint marketing and promotional initiatives across their respective communication channels. The objective is to create stronger connections between Asia-Pacific travel suppliers and an expanded international community of corporate travel decision-makers.
PATA CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid said the partnership would combine complementary networks and expertise to create new opportunities for business connections and knowledge exchange.
GBTA Senior Director, APAC, Elle Ng-Darmawan highlighted the opportunity to connect travel managers, suppliers, destination leaders and other industry professionals in Macao.
With the partnership, PTM 2027 is set to place greater emphasis on corporate business travel, creating opportunities for qualified buyers to discover Asia-Pacific destinations, products and services while enabling suppliers to engage directly with key decision-makers from the global business travel community.