Vietnam Proposes Europe-Asia Tourism Network Establishment

Vietnam has put forward an idea to establish the Europe - Asia tourism network, aiming to further enhance the relationship among member countries in the field, the 6^th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Finland from September 10-11 was told.

 

“The Europe - Asia tourism network will be a useful tool helping countries better promote and develop tourism image and potential to one another,” Nguyen Tan Dung, Prime Minister of Vietnam noted, adding that the network would also help countries strengthen relations in other fields. 

 

“The 6^th ASEM was one of the biggest-ever events of the Asia-Europe region drawing the participation of 39 nations, where we saw big achievements in economic, trade and politics fields, the Prime Minister noted. He, however, said that European and Asian countries have not made considerable results in the tourism industry.

 

Sharing the same view with Dung, his Finnish counterpart Matti Vanhanen said bilateral and multi-lateral exchanges in culture and tourism are important matters of concern, as they are reputedly “an economic catalyst” for closer economic cooperation among countries.

 

Set up in 1996, ASEM nations now boast 40 per cent of the world’s population. It also contributes 50 per cent and 60 per cent to the world’s GDP and total trade turnover respectively.

 

In the eight months of this year, Vietnam with five World Heritage sites received around 2.5 million foreign tourists from European and Asian countries, representing a year-on-year increase of 4.8 per cent.