By: Olkeriil Eoghan Ngirudelsang
Koror, Palau – A delegation from Palau planning to attend a Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) summit in Macau was denied entry in May 11 to 17, 2024.
President Surangel Whipps Jr. told Nikkei Asia that the denial represents an escalation of Chinese pressure on Palau. The delegation, comprised of Palau Visitors Authority (PVA) board members and staff, was scheduled to attend the summit themed “Reimagining Tourism.”
Kadoi Ruluked, managing director of the Palau Visitors Authority (PVA), confirmed the denial in a separate interview. “The Macau government informed PATA that it was denying Palau’s PATA delegation entry,” Ruluked said. “That denial was then communicated through PATA to PVA’s board of directors’ chairman.”
The Palau delegation was unaware of the entry denial until after their departure from Palau. They flew to Taiwan intending to transit to Macau but were unable to proceed and returned to Palau several days later.
Ruluked initially indicated the denial letter was not confidential and could be shared with the media. However, a PVA staff member later informed Island Times that “the board has decided not to release the letter as they feel there is no need to discuss it further.”
In a recent press conference, Whipps accused China of “weaponizing tourism.” “Unfortunately, they confirmed our belief that China will play those games with us to try to influence our policies,” Whipps said. “They showed that by denying our participation in PATA meetings after we went to the inauguration of Taiwan’s president.”
Palau is a member of the PATA Micronesia Chapter, a regional branch of the organization that promotes responsible travel and tourism development in the Asia Pacific. The potential ramifications of this incident for Palau’s PATA membership remain unclear as the Palau Visitors Authority Board has chosen not to comment on the matter.
The next PATA event is the PATA Travel Mart, an international travel trade exhibition scheduled for August 27-29 in Thailand.