The 17th General Assembly of the East Asia Inter-Regional Tourism Forum (EATOF 17) opened in Vietnam’s Quang Ninh province on October 25, bringing together various tourism managers and operators from countries across the region.
Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh province
Representatives of the World Tourism Organisation, UNESCO, Tripadvisor, and tourism experts from numerous universities were also on hand.
The EATOF 17 was held following a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, aiming to create a forum for regional tourism policymakers and operators to hammer out measures to reboot tourism services which have borne the brunt of the pandemic.
In his speech, Kim Jin-tae, governor of Gangwon province in the Republic of Korea, noted international tourism is now in the process of reopening, with East Asia set to be at the centre of the new era of tourism, particularly with regional governments being the key players.
EATOF will therefore lead the development of the tourism industry of member states moving forward and seek to develop a new model for the global tourism industry in the post-COVID era, Kim expressed his hope.
The three-day event will feature an opening ceremony in both online and offline formats, three discussion sessions, a meeting of the EATOF Standing Committee, bilateral meetings, a meeting of provincial Governors, the signing ceremony of EATOF joint statement, and a press conference.
Delegates are also due to tour several tourist destinations throughout Ha Long and Cam Pha cities, as well as Van Don district.
The EATOF 17 presents is a prime opportunity for Quang Ninh to promote and popularise its image as a ‘friendly, safe and attractive’ destination. The province which is home to the UNESCO-recognised Heritage site of Ha Long Bayalso aims to attract investment and increase cooperation.
In addition, it is hoping to promote tourism development linkages between EATOF member provinces in particular, as well as countries around the world in general.
