ASEAN Tourism Forum concluded in Vietnam, Focus on tourism development in the region
Travel BizNews —
The 38th ASEAN Tourism Forum ( ATF) concluded in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam pledging more cooperation for tourism development in the region.
Themed “ASEAN: The Power of One”, the ATF featured more than 20 activities and events, attracting the participation of over 2,000 delegates from tourism ministries and agencies of ASEAN, UNWTO, and other international tourism organisations and associations.
Top travel and tourism suppliers of all 10 member states of ASEAN – Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam participated in the ATF.
Similarly, global buyers from 53 countries including Australia, Azerbaijan, China , France, Germany, India, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, South Korea, Sweden, Thailand, Poland and Russia represented their countries in the event , according to ATF secretariat.
The host committee Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and its destination provinces organized various functions to give delegates a well-rounded ATF 2019 experience.
Meanwhile, Vietnam has won 15 ASEAN tourism awards at a ceremony held as part of the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF), which wrapped up in Ha Long city, the northern port city of Quang Ninh, on January 18. The awards cover the fields of community-based tourism, homestay, spa, and public toilet services.
It has opened up opportunities for cooperation in and the promotion of the lands, cultures, and peoples of ASEAN member countries to international friends, as well as helped elevate the political position of the 10-member group through bilateral and multilateral mechanism dialogues, according to Nhan Dan Online.
Delegates committed mutual cooperation on tourism development both within ASEAN and between the group and its partners.
Representatives of the participating countries highly valued the efforts made by Vietnam and Quang Ninh province, which is home to UNESCO-recognised Ha Long Bay, in hosting the forum.
This is the second time Vietnam has hosted the ATF, following the first in 2009 under the theme of “ASEAN Tourism: Striving for a New Height”.
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien handed over the mantle of the ATF 2020 host to Brunei at the closing ceremony,
ATF is a platform for all ASEAN Member States to build a stronger and more powerful position on the world stage with meaningful initiatives that boost tourism growth while preserving unique and collective heritage, identity and culture for the next generation to experience.
Jan. 20 , 2019
Image : Winners of the ASEAN Tourism Award honoured / VNA
