ASEAN+3 to meet in Yogyakarta
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The tourism ministers of the 10 ASEAN countries, along with those from China, Japan, and Republic of Korea, will gather later this week in Yogyakarta to forge a partnership in tourism, the ASEAN secretariat said.
The "ASEAN+3" tourism ministers will gather on Friday, one day after the ASEAN tourism ministers hold their annual gathering, the secretariat said in a statement over the weekend.
It said that the Yogyakarta gathering would focus on cooperation in tourism promotion, human resources development and the use of information technology.
It added that the first meeting of the ASEAN+3 tourism ministers was very timely as there was an urgent need for increased tourism in view of the global economic downturn and the drop in global tourism following the Sept. 11 terrorist attack.
During the gathering, China will be represented by Chinese National Tourism Administration's chairman Gang Sun, Japan by Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Jiro Hanyu and South Korea by Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism Hyung Kyu Yoon.
The ASEAN+3 tourism ministerial gathering is one of the main events in the ASEAN tourism meeting to be held in Yogyakarta for five days from Thursday until Jan. 28.
On Thursday, the ASEAN tourism ministers will hold their annual gathering to discuss the draft ASEAN Tourism Agreement which is expected to be signed by the ASEAN leaders during the ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh later this year.
The ASEAN Tourism Agreement covers tourism and travel facilitation, liberalization of intra-ASEAN transport services, tourism manpower development, mobility of tourism professionals and enhancing traveler's safety and security.
Another tourism event to be held in Yogyakarta is the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF), which will be officially opened by President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Friday and will run through Jan. 28.
Aside from the ATF, the organizers will also hold the ASEAN Travex (Travel Exchange), which is a forum for tourism sellers and buyers to make deals.