To strengthen tourism cooperation among ACMECS countries.
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Addressing the opening ceremony, Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien said that tourism cooperation among five countries, including the CLMV and Thailand, has helped to advertise tourist attractions in the region and establish travel routes linking such tourist sites.
The ACMECS joint statement on tourism cooperation has also motivated the five countries’ national tourist offices to intensify their collaboration and support each other in tourism promotion activities at international tourism fairs and festivals.
He hoped that through the meetings, the participating tourism ministers would put forward more effective and practical solutions to perfect regional tourism cooperation through the two mechanisms.
Over the past decade, via bilateral cooperation, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand have helped promote the “Five countries-one destinations” brand, improving tourist infrastructure among the five nations while safeguarding and promoting their national cultural values.
Last year, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam (CLMV) leaders have agreed on a score of cooperation measures to enhance their connectivity at the 8th CLMV Cooperation Summit (CLMV 8) in Hanoi on October 26.
Accordingly, in tourism, they are bound to fully implement the 2016 – 2018 Action Plan on Tourism Cooperation, particularly measures to ensure sustainable and responsible tourism, and encourage greater coordination and exchanges of information and experiences among the member countries.
They will facilitate the participation of CLMV tourism agencies, associations and enterprises in the regional events and fairs while promoting public – private partnerships, particularly in tourism promotion activities and tourist product development.
In 2016, the five countries together welcomed 54.8 million international visitors, up 4.9% against 2015. Of which, the number of intra-region tourists amounted to 8.95 million, equivalent to 16% of total foreign arrivals.
