The two-day Asia Europe Tourism Forum 2008 to promote tourism exchange between the two continents officially began in Ho Chi Minh City September 11, state media has said.
Titled “Enhancing Asia-Europe partnership for sustainable tourism development,” the forum is held in conjunction with the International Travel Exposition 2008 to take place from Frid to Sun at the Phu Tho Sport Stadium in District 11.
More than 250 delegates including senior tourism officials, tour operators, travel agencies and tourism experts from Asia and Europe are attending the event.
The tourism forum will discuss ways to achieve a 2004 master plan to form a closer economic partnership between Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) member countries.
Established in 1996 as a forum to foster political, economic and cultural cooperation, ASEM includes 27 European and 14 Asian countries.
Last year, Asia and Europe welcomed 828.7 million foreign arrivals, accounting for over 92 per cent of the world’s total. European countries made up 53.5 per cent of the world’s total with 480 million arrivals, the World Tourism Organization reported.
The Asian-Pacific region recorded the highest growth rate in the number of foreign arrivals at 10 per cent against the world average of 4 per cent. The rate in Vietnam reached over 17 per cent.
Vietnam owns big potentials to develop tourism. The country, however, has yet tapped the potentials effectively, Minister of Culture, Sport and Tourism of host Vietnam Hoang Tuan Anh admitted.
The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) has announced plans to visit Japan and Russia this month to promote Vietnamese tourism after completing a similar trip to Spain.
The tourism industry now contributes 8 per cent to the national GDP in Vietnam. (Thanh Nien Online, VNA)
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