The ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2019 opened in Ha Long city, the northern province of Quang Ninh on the night of January 16.


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At the opening ceremony 

With the theme “ASEAN-The Power of One”, the forum looks to realize an ASEAN of “One Vision, One Identity, One Community”.

It brought together around 2,000 delegates from national tourism agencies of the ASEAN countries, the UNWTO, and local and international travel companies and tourism media outlets.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said through 38 years, the ATF has proved its increasingly important impact on tourism in ASEAN in particular and on socio-economic, political, cultural, and tourism cooperation in general.

For Vietnam, it will help the country to make policies to develop its tourism sector in a fast and sustainable manner and underline the efforts of the country and other ASEAN members in building a wealthy ASEAN Community and a reliable partner, he said.

The forum lays a foundation for ASEAN to become a quality destination providing visitors with experiences in a diverse and unique ASEAN, he said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien said tourism proved its role as a leading economic sector of Vietnam’s economy. In 2018, the sector catered for 15.6 million international visitors and 80 million domestic tourists, contributing 8 percent of the national GDP.

The ATF 2019 is an opportunity for Vietnam to assert its position in regional tourism cooperation and introduce its huge potential, he said.

The ATF, established in 1981, is a regional effort to promote ASEAN as one tourist destination. The annual event involves all the tourism industry sectors of the 10 member states.

This year, the event also includes India, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Russia and China.

ASEAN Tourism Conference takes place in Quang Ninh



At the conference 


The ASEAN Tourism Conference took place in Ha Long city in the northern province of Quang Ninh on January 16 as part of the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF 2019).

Themed “Connecting Heritages for ASEAN Tourism Development in the Digital Age”, the conference opened up a platform for participants to share experience and initiatives in applying new technologies towards connecting and developing ASEAN heritage tourism.

The event looks to enhance regional cooperation in preserving and promoting the values of the natural and cultural heritages in the bloc.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Le Quang Tung said that ASEAN member nations are expected to join hands to create a digital database to promote the world’s heritage system in ASEAN, as well as develop tourism by utilising the Internet of Things.

He noted that ASEAN is home to many of the world’s natural and cultural heritage sites, which have made important contributions to tourism growth in each nation.

The preservation and promotion of heritage values in the bloc will create a premise for sustainable tourism development, contributing to the common prosperity of member states, he added.

Several other activities within the framework of the ATF 2019 took place the same day, such as the meetings of ASEAN Tourism Ministers and ASEAN National Tourism Organisations, the ATF Travel Exchange (TRAVEX), the opening ceremony of the ATF 2019, and exchange programmes.


VNA