Delegates discuss at the workshop on ASEAN festival tourism. (Photo: Nhandan.vn) Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT) under theMinistry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on December 26 organised a workshop onASEAN festival tourism.
At theworkshop, experts and policymakers from ASEAN countries exchangedinformation and experiences to develop festival tourism and connectdestinations in the region.
It wasreported at the event that in 2022, ASEAN countries received 43 millioninternational visitors, accounting for only 30% of the post-pandemic level in2019.
Thus,ASEAN has been strengthening cooperation in tourism for post-pandemicsustainable development and recovery.
In thepast two years, ASEAN issued new policies such as the ASEAN Tourism MarketingStrategy for the 2021-2025 period, the Post-COVID-19 Recovery Plan for ASEANTourism, and the ASEAN Framework on Sustainable Tourism Development in thePost-COVID-19 Era.
Buildingtourism products to improve ASEAN destination competitiveness is an importantcontent to promote post-pandemic recovery. Particularly, a project ondeveloping ASEAN festival tourism was launched to help diversify tourismproducts in the region and promote intra-bloc destination connectivity.
As acoordinator of the project, the VNAT proposed solutions to effectively developfestival tourism for ASEAN, including Vietnam.
Accordingto a report by the VNAT, ASEAN is considered a land of festivals that take place year round, throughout the region and with their own distinctive nuances.
Festivaltourism provides opportunities for tourists to explore local culture, andtraditional cuisine and especially experience unique entertainment activities.Today, many festivals in Southeast Asia have become famous all around theworld, attracting many tourists, including Cambodia’s New Year festival, theThai Songkran water festival, and lantern festival or boat racing festival inLaos, the Bali art festival in Indonesia, and the Mid-Autumn festival in Vietnam.
At theworkshop, participants agreed that it is necessary to promote ASEAN to become afestival destination which is capable of connecting destinations in the region,diversifying tours, and creating a unique attraction.
Theyalso discussed international experiences and new trends for festival tourism.Recommendations were suggested for relevant parties toeffectively manage and exploit festival tourism, ensuring tourism developmentin line with preserving and promoting cultural and heritage values./.
