ASEAN Tourism Forum Takes Place 16-20 January 2017 in Singapore

The 36th ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) will take place in Singapore from 16 to 20 January 2017.

Themed “Shaping Our Tourism Journey Together”, ATF 2017 will support the continuous, collective efforts by ASEAN members to address challenges and opportunities as ASEAN jointly develops and grows the tourism industry in the region.

In celebration of ASEAN’s 50th Anniversary, this year’s edition of ATF will include the official launch of the Visit ASEAN@50: Golden Celebration campaign.

HIGHLIGHTS
Official Launch of VisitASEAN@50 Campaign – At the Opening Gala on 18 January, the Visit ASEAN@50: Golden Celebration campaign will be officially launched by the Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Lee Hsien Loong, ASEAN Secretary General Mr Le Luong Minh, and ASEAN Tourism Ministers. Fifty special packages have been selected by ASEAN NTOs for the campaign, which aims to attract 121 million international visitor arrivals to the region by end of 2017, up from 109 million in 2015.

Awards for Community Based Tourism (CBT) – For the first time, ASEAN will honour outstanding tourism communities measured against ASEAN’s CBT standards. These include the inclusive and ethical presentation of a community’s social, historical and natural assets and compliance on practical issues such as accommodation, safety and hygiene. There will also be awards for private sector distinction in the homestay sector. The awards presentations take place on Friday, 20 January.

NTO Press Conferences – All ten ASEAN member states will share updates on their latest destination news, goals, partnerships and service innovations. Key highlights include information on Singapore’s new marketing strategy; Visit Laos Year 2018; Viet Nam’s new visa policies, including the visa exemption policy for European tourists; Myanmar’s update on tourism performance, skills development initiatives, and its new destination marketing promotions for 2017.

ASEAN Tourism Conference (ATC) 2017 – Held alongside TRAVEX @ ATF 2017 on 17 January 2017, 2pm to 5pm at Marina Bay Sands, the ATC, with the theme “Riding the Digital Wave: the Fourth Revolution”, will offer attendees insights into changing travel patterns and their impact on businesses. This conference is open to all delegates of ATF 2017.

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For editors, images of ASEAN destinations and tourism leaders can be downloaded at http://www.scottasia.net/clients/asean/media/.

Further information
Visit www.aseantourism.travel and www.atf2017.com

ASEAN Tourism Competitiveness Committee:
contact: atmcwg@gmail.com

ASEAN Secretariat:
contact: eddy@asean.org