ASEAN tourism ministers at the event (Photo: VNA)Quang Ninh (VNA) – The 22nd Meetingof ASEAN Tourism Ministers opened in the northern province of Quang Ninh onJanuary 17 as part of the ongoing ASEAN Tourism Forum 2019.
Opening the event, Vietnamese Minister ofCulture, Sports, and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien asked ASEAN national tourismorganisations to enhance coordination in all aspects to improve service qualityand better facilitate travel.
He called on them to focus on key issues toremove barriers and bolster cooperation in order to promote the sustainabledevelopment of tourism in ASEAN.
The meeting discussed several agendas, theoutcomes of the 33rd ASEAN Summit in Singapore on November 13 last year, and reportsby national tourism organisations and the joint press communiqué. It alsoconsulted with international organisations about relevant issues.
The ASEAN region boasts great potential fortourism development. The diverse tourism resources, both environmental andhuman, have given it a range of unique identities attractive to tourists fromboth inside and outside of the region.
In recent years, ASEAN has emerged as one of theregions with the most dynamic development in the Asia-Pacific. All 10 members havepaid attention to tourism and considered this an important sector for theireconomies.
In 2018, the number of international tourists toASEAN grew by some 10 percent, higher than the average of 8 percent in theAsia-Pacific region and 7 percent in the world. Tourism contributes about 12.4percent to the regional GDP.
However, regional tourism still faces a numberof difficulties and challenges on its path to sustainable development. Theswitch to bilateral cooperation by many major economies, the fierce competitionamong destinations of different regions and countries, terrorism and insecurityin some regions, climate change, and trade wars have all strongly affectedtourism activities. Some barriers in the form of mechanisms and policies havealso hampered tourism development in several countries, as well as the ASEANregion more broadly. –VNA
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