Hanoi(VNA) – APEC tourism ministers and senior representatives have convened in Ha Longcity, northeastern Quang Ninh province for their policy dialogue, focusing on“promoting sustainable tourism for an inclusive and interconnectedAsia-Pacific” with a view to further enhancing APEC cooperation on sustainableand inclusive development in the region.

Tourism has always been one of APEC’s cooperation priorities. Tourism is forecast to be one of the fastest growingsectors in the region, currently becoming an economic pillar, and makingimportant contributions to growth of APEC member economies. This is among keydrivers promoting sustainable, innovative and inclusive growth, helping toimprove people’s livelihood and regional prosperity. APEC set a target of 800 million tourist arrivals tothe region by 2025.

In his speech at the opening ceremony of the APEC High Level Policy Dialogue onSustainable Tourism on June 19, Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports andTourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien, stressed effective efforts made by APEC membereconomies to promote sustainable tourism development will significantlycontribute to realising 17 sustainable development goals of the UN.

Roger Philip Wigglesworth, head of the New Zealand delegation, hailed Vietnam’sinitiative to hold the dialogue, saying that closer regional cooperation is animportant step to further step up tourism links within APEC, as well as betweenVietnam and other APEC economies.

Vietnam should pay attention to bolstering community-based tourism development becausethis helps not only better living standards of locals, but also ensures sustainabledevelopment of the sector, Roger said.

According to Malaysian Deputy Minister of Culture Mas Ermieyati Samsundina,sustainable tourism has to create jobs for people, while promoting localculture and products, and keeping a balance between community interests andother benefits.

Accordingto the World Travel and Tourism Council, in 2016, tourism generated 1.3trillion USD for APEC members’ GDP, directly created 67 million jobs and helpedthe region’s 6.1 percent export growth. According to an APEC Policy Support Unit(PSU) report, every one percent growth in the number of tourists helpreduce 0.12 percent the number of poor people in the region. 

Tourism is also a major part of economic growth, for every 10 percent growthin tourist in APEC departure economies, exports will grow by 1.2 percent andimports 0.8 percent in each destination economies.

The APEC High Level Policy Dialogue onSustainable Tourism is an initiative of Vietnam in order to realise the APECStrategy for Strengthening Quality Growth and implement one of the fourpriorities of APEC cooperation in 2017 – which is promoting sustainable,innovative and inclusive growth. It is also a major contribution to theInternational Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development set by the UnitedNations.

Tourism cooperation among APEC membersofficially began in 1991 with the establishment of APEC Tourism Working Group.In 2000, the APEC Tourism Charter, an important document providing long-termdirection for the APEC tourism cooperation, was adopted at the first APECTourism Ministerial Meeting in the Republic of Korea.

Established in 1989, APEC comprises 21economies, including Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong,Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, PapuaNew Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the USand Vietnam.-VNA