This will be the second time the forum is held in Vietnam, following the previous hosting in 2009. 

The event will afford Vietnam a chance to improve its role and stature in regional tourism cooperation and introduce the country’s natural beauty and people to international friends. Domestic travel agencies will be able to meet partners and well-known hospitality service providers from around the world. 

Via the event, Vietnamese people will be able to gain a greater understanding of the ASEAN and the outcomes and benefits of regional tourism collaboration. 

Major activities during the forum will include the ASEAN Tourism Ministers’ Meeting and their meeting with counterparts from China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and India; the meeting of leaders of the ASEAN national tourism organisations; meetings of the ASEAN-India and ASEAN- Russia tourism working groups; the ASEAN Tourism Forum on Travel Exchange (Travex); the ASEAN Tourism Research Association Conference; and other sideline events. 

As many as 394 buyers, 122 media outlets, and 176 stalls from ASEAN member states and 53 others from Vietnam have been invited to Travex. 

The organising board will be completing a book on travel stories in Vietnam, another on common introductions at the ATF 2019, a guide on ASEAN Mutual Recognition Agreement on Tourism Professionals, and the website www.atfvietnam2019.com.

Within the forum’s framework, the organising board will arrange meetings of the ASEAN Tourism Association, the Federation of ASEAN Travel Associations, and the ATRA, as well as hold sports exchanges and tours for spouses of visiting delegates and ministers. 

The host Vietnam will partner with the ASEAN Secretariat to present the ASEAN Tourism Awards with four categories, including the third ASEAN homestay awards, the first ASEAN toilet awards, the first spa services awards, and the second community-based tourism awards. 

On the occasion, visiting countries and partners will also hold banquets to introduce their tourism products, such as the Brunei Night and the Philippines Night. 

The first ATF was held in Malaysia in 1981, which has been held annually since then in alternating ASEAN member states. 

The event attracts over 2,000 delegates, including tourism ministers, leaders of national tourism agencies, international organisations and partners, high-end hotels and resorts, airlines, and the media both within and outside the region. –VNA