At the PATA Annual Summit 2025 in İstanbul, Türkiye, PATA unveiled a new report, The Evolving Tourism Workforce: Human Capital Development in APAC, focusing on workforce-related challenges and opportunities within the region’s tourism industry.
Developed by PATA member Pear Anderson, the report brings together insights from government bodies, industry stakeholders, academic institutions, and youth representatives. It outlines current trends in human capital and provides strategic recommendations and case studies to support sustainable workforce development across Asia-Pacific.
The study was initiated in January 2024 and represents over a year of extensive interviews, surveys, and analysis, making it one of the most in-depth examinations of the Asia-Pacific tourism workforce to date.
The report identifies several challenges affecting the tourism workforce in the Asia-Pacific region. These include difficulty in attracting new talent to the sector, high staff turnover and retention issues, and ongoing skills gaps, particularly in digital literacy and sustainability. Another concern is the misalignment between workforce development efforts and broader sustainability goals.
The report also emphasises a need for stronger collaboration between the public and private sectors, as well as between academia and industry, particularly in preparing youth to enter the workforce with realistic expectations and future-ready skills.
Among the findings is a misalignment of expectations and policy approaches across government, industry, education, and youth sectors. It notes the need for structured public-private dialogue to avoid unintended outcomes in human capital policies. The report also identifies a gap between how prepared young people feel to join the industry and how employers assess their readiness – pointing to a disconnect between education and employment. It also stresses the need to support the motivation and purpose that drive many tourism workers, while protecting them from unfair working conditions.
Pear Anderson director, Hannah Pearson, commented: “This report reflects what many in the industry have felt intuitively for some time – we are at a crossroads. Our research reveals both sobering realities and bright opportunities. The future of tourism in Asia-Pacific depends on how we develop, empower and value our people today.”
“This timely report comes at a pivotal moment when tourism must re-establish its footing, as a new and younger generation enters the workforce,” said PATA CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid. “The insights gathered from diverse stakeholder groups across the region highlight the complexity of our workforce issues, while also providing a roadmap for recovery, resilience, and long-term growth.”
He added: “We hope this report will inspire our members and the broader industry to rethink training and development, initiate new collaborations across sectors, and customise strategies to build a stronger, more adaptable workforce.”
The report can be viewed here.
