The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), a not-for-profit association based in Bangkok, Thailand, was founded in 1951. It is recognized as the leading regional body for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from, and within the Asia-Pacific region.

The establishment of PATA can be traced back to William J. Mullahey, an American who at the time was working for Pan American Airways (Pan-Am). Having seen the destruction of the region during World War II, he set about trying to organize the first Pacific area travel conference in 1951. The initial aim of this conference was to promote travel to the then largely undiscovered region of the world—simply referred to in the United States as “The Pacific.” The first conference was held in Hawaii in ...