PHIST sustainable tourism event will encourage confrontation of conventional thinking

PHIST (Phuket Hotels for Islands Sustaining Tourism), Southeast Asia’s biggest sustainability event for the tourism and hospitality sectors returns in September networking opportunities that will encourage attendees to confront conventional thinking and create meaningful solutions to a range of environmental and community-focused challenges.

Organised by the Phuket Hotels Association - the non-profit organisation of hoteliers focused on creating a bright future for Phuket - PHIST 2024 will run under the theme “One on One: Sustainability from the Top”, as it reveals how senior company executives can successfully build a forward-thinking corporate culture and drive positive change, not only within their own companies, but across the entire industry and beyond.

Headlining this year’s event will be Peng Sum Choe (above left), Chief Executive of Pan Pacific Hotels Group, who has guided his company towards integrating sustainability into every aspect of its operations. This has led to the group achieving Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Multi-Site certification for all eight of its properties in Singapore. He will come together with Jesper Palmqvist, Senior Director – Asia Pacific for hospitality analysts STR, to discuss the critical issue of green leadership.

Also driving the conversation will be Jayne MacDougall, Executive Director of the Phuket Hotels Association (above right), who will reveal the details of the Green Planet School Farm Project – an important initiative that is empowering the next generation of organic producers.

Staged at Angsana Laguna Phuket in Phuket on 2nd September 2024, PHIST is not just another conference; it is a highly immersive and interactive learning event that will feature a series of candid debates and discussions, 18 workshops and career development sessions.

Headlining this year’s event will be Peng Sum Choe (above left), Chief Executive of Pan Pacific Hotels Group, who has guided his company towards integrating sustainability into every aspect of its operations. This has led to the group achieving Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Multi-Site certification for all eight of its properties in Singapore. He will come together with Jesper Palmqvist, Senior Director – Asia Pacific for hospitality analysts STR, to discuss the critical issue of green leadership.

Also driving the conversation will be Jayne MacDougall, Executive Director of the Phuket Hotels Association (above right), who will reveal the details of the Green Planet School Farm Project – an important initiative that is empowering the next generation of organic producers.

Last year’s conference was attended by more than 1,000 people.

Peng Sum Choe advised “I am grateful for the opportunity to address my industry colleagues at PHIST. Sustainability is a crucial issue, particularly for island communities, making this event an important platform for collaboration. I look forward to sharing my experiences and learning from the innovative solutions and insights of others.”

MacDougall enthused “we are thrilled to announce Peng Sum Choe and Jesper Palmqvist as our headline speakers; they will provide the perfect blend of expertise and insight to inspire guests to create sustainable futures for their own businesses.”

To learn more about the Phuket Hotels Association visit www.phukethotelsassociation.com. 

 Image top: Angsana Laguna Phuket, a 5-star beachfront resort, is the venue of PHIST 2024 ; image above:Peng Sum Choe, Pan Pacific Hotels Group’s CEO, will be joined by other key speakers including Jayne MacDougall, Executive Director of Phuket Hotels Association.