ASEAN Tourism Forum 2009

ASEAN Tourism Forum 2009 - Striving for a New Height

ASEAN Tourism Forum is one of the most important and largest-scale activities in the frame of ASEAN Tourism cooperation. Since it was established, ATF always get big attendance of its country members.

This is a big political, socio-economic event and also an initiative and collective cooperation to make contributions to turn ASEAN into a general tourism destination and promote sustainable tourism development. ATF also helps enhance visitors exchanging activities, friendship cooperation, cultural exchanges, peace consolidation, regional prosperity development.

ATF was first held in Malaysia in 1981, and then annually held in turns within ASEAN countries.

Due to its great political and socio-economic meanings, all countries members show big efforts to hold AFT to consolidate and enhance their tourism industry image. However, up to now, ATF is mainly hold in the former ASEAN country members (05 times in Malaysia, Singapore and Philippines, 04 times in Thailand,Indonesia , 01 time in Brunei Darussalam, Campuchia, Laos) . The hosting activities of ATF in the countries all brings back good results, representing by an increase in the number of their visitors and a more exciting tourism industry and bigger interests of partners and investors then after the event.

There were 1500 guests attending the Eight-day ATF including the following activites: ASEAN tourism ministerial meeting, the meetings of the ASEAN tourism ministers with dialogue countries, the executive meeting of national tourism agency, the meeting of ASEAN-joint Tourism working group, Travel exhibitions (Travex), the meeting of ASEAN tourism, the meeting of excutive board of ASEAN Tourism Association, press conferences and other relevant activities.

Since 1998, Vietnam has regularly joined ATF, attending all meetings as well as activities in the frame of the forum. Beside attending the meetings, together with other tourist companies, Vietnam tourism association has also attended Travex and already hold many promotion programs such as press conferences, shows, parties at the forum to advertise the country, Vietnamese people, culture, and tourism industry. Through the meetings of the Tourism working group, national tourism agencies and ministers, Vietnam tourism association together with national tourism agencies of other country members built up the implementation program for the ASEAN tourism agreement in which is centered on the contents: try to open tourism market, cooperate with other countries, extend ASEAN tourism services, increase the tourism quality, develop human resources of tourism, safety and security of tourism, promote and advertise tourism to attain the general target to develop ASEAN community in 2015. Initiated by Vietnam, from 2001, The meeting of ASEAN tourism ministers + 3 (ASEAN with China, Japan, and South Korea) was established and held annually in the frame of ATF. In 2001, based on the proposal of Tourism Department, the prime minister made a policy get the right for the hosting ATF in 2005 (Document No. 668/VPCP-TCQT dated 22 February 2001). However, due to the lack of necessities in the preparation including facilities, human resources, we could not be the host for the forum. As such, ATF 2009 will be an excellent chance for Vietnam to advertise the country image (country and people) to foreign partners and for the first time Vietnam will host the ATF.

(Source: CINET)
Tag: Culture , Exhibition , Japan , Malaysia , Tour , Tourism , Tourist , Travel , Vietnam , Vietnam Tour , Vietnam Tourism , Vietnamese

ASEAN Tourism Forum 2009 - Striving for a New Height

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