APEC member economies adopt statement on sustainable tourism
Quang Ninh (VNA) - Member economies of the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum adopted a statement on sustainable tourism
development during the APEC High Level Policy Dialogue on Sustainable Tourism
held in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh on June 19.
Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Huynh Vinh Ai
told reporters that the statement has a significant meaning and delivers a
message of strongly supporting principles and actions to promote sustainable
tourism. Under the statement, APEC member economies acknowledged sustainable
tourism development is a continuous process that requires constant impact
monitoring.
They agreed to foster regional and domestic tourism policies
that support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and
encourage viable, long-term economic contributions of travel and tourism in
providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders.
The APEC members suggested respecting socio-cultural
authenticity of host communities, conserving their built and living cultural
heritage and traditional values, and contributing to inter-cultural understanding
and tolerance.
It is also recommended making optimal use of environmental
resources that constitute a key element in tourism development, maintaining
essential ecological processes, conserving natural features and resources and
biodiversity, and creating competitive and enabling environments for all
tourism-related enterprises, and particularly micro-, small- and medium-sized
enterprises.
The bloc proposed conducting further studies to enable APEC member
economies to apply new advanced technologies for smart, sustainable and inclusive
tourism development, especially in tourism human resource development and
tourism management.
The APEC High Level Policy Dialogue on Sustainable Tourism is an
initiative of Vietnam in order to realise the APEC Strategy for Strengthening
Quality Growth and implement one of the four priorities of APEC cooperation in
2017 – which is promoting sustainable, innovative and inclusive growth. It is
also a major contribution to the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for
Development set by the United Nations.
Tourism cooperation among APEC members officially began in
1991 with the establishment of APEC Tourism Working Group. In 2000, the APEC
Tourism Charter, an important document providing long-term direction for the
APEC tourism cooperation, was adopted at the first APEC Tourism Ministerial
Meeting in the Republic of Korea.
In 2016, Vietnam hosted the fourth APEC Tourism
Ministerial Meeting in central Quang Nam province’s Hoi An city, which adopted
the “Hoi An Declaration on the Promotion of APEC Tourism Cooperation”. The
country has also regularly and actively participated in most important
activities of APEC tourism cooperation and promoted bilateral ties with APEC
member economies.
To date, Vietnam has exempted entry visas for nine APEC
member economies and implemented electronic visas for three other countries.
Top ten source markets of Vietnam in 2016 are APEC member economies.
Established in 1989, APEC comprises 21 economies, including
Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, the
Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the
Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the US and Vietnam.-VNA