Fourth APEC Tourism Ministerial Meeting opens in Hoi An

Representatives from 21 APEC member economies attend the fourth APEC Tourism Ministerial Meeting

The event themed “Promoting APEC Tourism Co-operation for the Common Prosperity” was attended by representatives from 21 APEC member economies and guest observers from international tourism organisations.

Ms Vo Thi Thang, head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, delivered an opening speech, welcoming the distinguished ministers and heads of delegations of APEC member economies to the meeting.

The meeting will review reports by the 29th APEC Tourism Working Group on the implementation of measures aimed at promoting the APEC Tourism Charter signed in the Republic of Korea in 2000, she said.

The delegates will also discuss proposals and initiatives by APEC member economies in order to boost tourism co-operation in the APEC region in the future, and look into the content of the Hoi An Declaration on strengthening APEC tourism co-operation, she added.

Ms Thang stressed that after becoming an official member of APEC in 1998, Vietnam’s tourism had made active contributions to the development of tourism within APEC and the country’s tourism sector had seen sustainable growth in recent time, contributing to improving people’s life.

Addressing the event, Deputy PM Pham Gia Khiem affirmed that the theme of the meeting expressed the strong commitments and enormous efforts made by member economies through tourism to head for the APEC communities’ development of stability, sustainability and prosperity.

“As the tourism sectors in member economies make use of all possible opportunities and strengthen co-operation through multilateral framework of APEC as well as other co-operation frameworks in the region, they have been additionally bringing about an huge source, contributing to the promotion of the region’s image and enhancing the position of tourism and APEC community as a whole,’ he said.

According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, most APEC member economies have great potential for tourism development. Tourism activities in the APEC region have boomed in recent years. In 2005, intra-regional tourism received more than 237 million travellers, making up nearly 30% of the total global tourists, and generated over US $231 billion in export earnings, accounting 34 percent global tourism earnings. Tourism in the APEC region is expected to attain an average growth of between 8-10% in the next decade.

Source: Nhandan