APEC to discuss boosting tourism in Vietnam conference
HANOI - Asia's top tourism officials are due to meet in Vietnam from Monday to try to formulate a joint strategy to bolster the region's travel industry.
Top officials from the 21 members of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum will discuss at a two-day meeting how to ensure solid tourism growth in the ancient town of Hoi An, badly hit two weeks ago by Typhoon Xangsane.
Participants-including ministers from Taiwan, Indonesia and Russia-will talk about how to remove barriers to business and investment, as well as how to increase the flow of visitors to the region.
They will also grapple with how to balance growth with maintaining sustainable resources.
Industry experts say strong economic growth has driven travel demand in recent years and the Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the world in years to come.
The Pacific Asia Travel Association estimates the number of international movements within APEC countries were well above 300 million last year, from a record global total of 808 million.
"More than three-quarters of that were from one APEC member's economy to another. It is almost like a very strong internal flows system," said John Koldowski, from PATA.
The region has enjoyed a growth of around four or five per cent, he added, although the figure varies among different member states.
Discussions will also include ways to increase cooperation between the state and the private sector, how to raise airport capacity and whether low cost carriers should benefit from any open skies agreements.
"We should work towards an APEC open skies regime so that there will be more frequent flights and new air routes to make it convenient for our people to visit one another," said Soo Siew Keong, director of international relations at the Singapore Tourism Board.
Agence France Presse - October 15, 2006.
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