“China will continue to play a pivotal role in driving tourism growth across the Pacific Asia Region. It is crucial for PATA to actively engage with all sectors of China’s expanding travel and tourism industry, from government to industry stakeholders. Recognising the significance of China’s tourism sector, the PATA Executive Board has appointed Soon-Hwa as the PATA Ambassador for Greater China for a two-year term. Soon-Hwa’s deep understanding of both PATA and China makes him the ideal candidate for this role,” stated PATA Chair Peter Semone.

As PATA Ambassador for Greater China, Soon-Hwa shall serve as a representative of PATA in the region. The Ambassador will work towards achieving the goals of PATA, facilitating collaboration among stakeholders in the travel and tourism industry, and enhancing the presence of PATA in Greater China.

Soon Hwa’s first official business trip to China was way back in 1985. He has made regular trips to different parts of China since then. In 2007, he relocated to Shanghai when he was regional head of Hertz Asia Pacific to set up the first fully owned foreign car rental company in China. He spent 3 years there from 2007 to 2010 and has now built a strong network of business contacts and good working relationships with relevant government agencies. He is fluent in English and Mandarin, including several Chinese dialects.

With over 40 years of experience in Asia Pacific travel and tourism, Soon Hwa is a seasoned and versatile senior business leader who can help companies navigate the complex and dynamic market opportunities in the region. As the CEO of AsiaChina Pte Ltd, he leverages his extensive network of high-level contacts and deep understanding of the two-way tourism and trade flows between Asia Pacific and China to provide effective and tailored solutions for clients and partners across various sectors, such as destination management, aviation, car rental, urban mobility, travel agency, and startup.

A PATA Life Member, he is also passionate about driving change and transformation in the industry, as evidenced by his involvement in various association leadership roles, such as the Immediate Past Chair of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the current Chair of PATA Singapore Chapter, and the Honorary Chairman of the Tourism Management Institute of Singapore (TMIS). Through these platforms, he collaborates with senior tourism leaders, policymakers, educators, and innovators to shape the future of tourism and hospitality in the region and beyond.

About PATA
Founded in 1951, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a not-for-profit membership association that acts as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its member organisations, which includes government, state and city tourism bodies; international airlines and airports; hospitality organisations, and educational institutions, as well as thousands of young tourism professional (YTP) members across the world. The PATA network also embraces the grassroots activism of the PATA Chapters and Student Chapters, who organise numerous travel industry training programmes and business development events across the world. Thousands of travel professionals belong to the 32 local PATA Chapters worldwide, while hundreds of students are members of the 28 PATA Student Chapters globally. The PATAmPOWER platform delivers unrivalled data, forecasts and insights from the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre to members’ desktops and mobile devices anywhere in the world. PATA’s Head Office has been in Bangkok since 1998. The Association also has an official office in Beijing.