PHIST 2021 to advance sustainability agenda for tourism in Asia

October 21, 2021

PHIST (Phuket Hotels for Islands Sustaining Tourism) returns for a fourth year to advance the sustainable and environmental agenda for the tourism and hospitality sectors in Asia, with a full-day virtual event scheduled for Thursday 28th October 2021.

This dynamic event will strive to devise real-world solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing islands and resort destinations in Asia. All discussions are open, honest and impartial, and no subject is considered off the table – however uncomfortable the answers might be. The aim is to challenge existing operating procedures and create new best practices that will position the industry for a brighter and more sustainable future.

PHIST co-founder Bill Barnett advises “the global pandemic has undoubtedly transformed the travel and tourism universe. As we start to emerge from this crisis, one thing is clear: we cannot go back to the unsustainable, unaccountable methods we used before. We must learn to live, work and travel in an entirely new way. At PHIST, our mission is to listen to every side of the argument, understand the biggest issues we are facing, and develop actionable, economical and above all, responsible solutions. Together, we can rise to the challenge and help our precious region to thrive in the post-pandemic era.”

Organised by the Phuket Hotels Association, Greenview and C9 Hotelworks, in collaboration with multiple like-minded strategic and supporting partners*, PHIST 2021 is the latest edition of Asia’s leading sustainable travel and hospitality event. Over 1,000 delegates are expected to attend this unmissable online gathering, which includes keynote addresses from industry leaders, interactive sessions, educational workshops and more.

At the top of the bill is Ho Kwon Ping, Founder and Executive Chairman of Banyan Tree Holdings and Laguna Resorts and Hotels, who has established the global multi-branded hospitality company - Banyan Tree Group with the founding ethos of ‘Embracing the Environment. Empowering People’. As an industry sustainability leader, he has been championing the core value of driving sustainable development and creating long term value through the triple bottom line of economic, social and environmental success, wherever the hotels are planted.

He will be joined by several other leading figures from various sectors of travel and hospitality, including Anthony Lark, President of the Phuket Hotels Association, Matawee Mujchapan, Operations Manager of Centara Hotels and Resorts, Marcia Yu, Senior Investment Manager at International Finance Corporation (IFC), and Luca Dotti, Founder and Managing Director of HOMA.

Jesper Palmqvist, STR’s Area Director for Asia Pacific, and Nikhom Jensiriratanakorn, Director of Horwath HTL, will help to decipher the data and provide expert insights into the latest hospitality trends at this critical time, while Conor Brannum, Sustainability Officer at HOMA, and Aliza Napartivaumnuay, Co-Founder and Chief Executive of Socialgiver, will drive the debate about conscientious tourism and CSR. Finally, PHIST 2021 will hear from students from the Asian Institute of Hospitality Management (AIHM) / Les Roches, who will provide a voice for the next generation of hotel professionals.

Ahead of PHIST 2021 on Wednesday 27th October 2021, four free one-hour environmental masterclasses will be held online. The “Waste Management (Recycling Practices)” session (09.00-10.00 hrs) will discuss ways to improve recycling practices, while “Biting into Sustainable Seafood” (11.00-12.00 hrs) will provide an overview of how to ensure that our eating habits are not damaging the health of the oceans. “Net Zero for the Hotel Industry” (14.00-15.00 hrs) will highlight carbon neutral concepts for the hotel sector, and “Phuket Hotels Team Up and Aim High to Reduce Plastic Use” (15.00-16.00 hrs) will seek to solve the plastic emergency in Southeast Asia. To register for any of these, please click on the session name.

PHIST 2021 is an unmissable event for the region’s hospitality providers, tourism operators, transport providers, environmental product suppliers, NGOs, hospitality students and the media. The forum will take place on Thursday 28th October at 15.00 hrs Bangkok time or 16.00 hrs Singapore/Hong Kong time. Attendance is free! Simply REGISTER HERE to confirm your participation.

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