PATA is communicating with its members and travel industry colleagues concerning a new growth trend called indigenous tourism. PATA Next Gen is co-organizing the inaugural Pacific Asia Indigenous Tourism Conference (PAITC). The conference takes place in Darwin, Australia, March 28 to 30.

The objective of PAITC is to enhance and protect the increasingly important tourism role of Asia Pacific’s indigenous people such as hill tribes, forest dwellers, sea faring groups and Aboriginal people. At the end of PAITC in Darwin, the organizers, PATA, the Australian Tourism Export Council and Tourism NT aim to announce the Darwin Declaration -- a blueprint of principles and goals that will define what indigenous tourism stands for. The Darwin Declaration will go a long way to bringing the growth sector of indigenous tourism into mainstream tourism. The declaration will have input from indigenous representatives from across Asia Pacific, such as Nepal, Canada, Australia, United States, China and Laos.