The Philippine Statistical Association Region 6 Chapter (PSA6) will host the PSA Annual Conference 2011 with the theme “Tourism and Statistics”.  PSA Inc with the Department of Tourism (DOT) will sponsor the two-day conference scheduled September 26-27, 2011 at the Sarabia Manor and Convention Center, Iloilo City. This Conference coincides with the celebration of the World Tourism Day on September 27, 2011, and will also serve as the 59^th Anniversary celebration of the PSA.  Researchers from the academe, national statistical agencies, local government units (LGUs), other government offices and the private sector will gather to discuss issues and share findings on the state of tourism statistics in the country, and to recommend actions to improve the ways by which statistics can support tourism development. Experts have been invited to present papers on issues in the generation of reliable tourism statistics, including statistical concerns in capturing the current state of tourism employment, tourism capabilities of local governments, impacts of tourism, public policy on tourism and other emerging developments such as agri-tourism, eco-tourism and medical tourism.

 The two-day Conference will commence with an Opening Ceremonies at 9:00 o’clock a.m. on 26 September 2011, followed by a Plenary Session featuring prominent personalities of the Tourism Industry, Local Government Executives and officials of the Philippine Statistical System.  Parallel paper presentations on different facets of tourism as reflected by available statistics and various issues related to the production, analysis, dissemination and utilization of tourism statistics will be held in simultaneous sessions at designated break-out rooms.  A Special Session on Statistics Education will likewise be conducted for the benefit of delegates from the academe and others who may be interested.  Day 1 will end with a cocktail reception from 5:00 to 7:30 o’clock p.m. which will be tendered in honor of all participants and guests. The reception promises to be a special event which will be capped with a program and a cultural show. Day 2 of the Conference will start at 8:00 o’clock a.m. and will close with a forum to wrap up issues and recommendations raised during the paper presentations at the Closing Ceremonies. Soon after, organized tours at the personal expense of the Conference participants will be undertaken.

For those who are interested to attend, you can e-mail psai.sec@gmail.com or  psa.sec@gmail.com or call 632-920-6513; telefax – (632-4561928) (c/o Stephanie Rae C. Andres/Reynaldo B. Belluga, Jr.).  For Region 6 participants, you may inquire through the PSA6 Secretariat c/o Miss Lidz Losare of the National Statistical Coordination Board Region 6 (telephone no. 033-3200513 or e-mail address nscb6@yahoo.com.)