Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration Nguyen Thi Hoa Mai (right) attends the 62nd ASEAN National Tourism Agencies Conference
In her opening speech, Ms. Verna C. Buensuceso, Undersecretary of the Philippine Department of Tourism, Chair of the Conference, affirmed that the tourism cooperation mechanism has achieved many results in recent times through the activities of specialized committees and working groups. Ms. Verna affirmed the commitment to ASEAN cooperation in the spirit of "One vision, one identity, one caring and sharing community", the countries are actively preparing to complete the ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan 2016-2025 and are building an ASEAN Tourism Industry Plan in line with the new goals.
The conference focused on reviewing reports from four ASEAN Tourism Cooperation Committees, including: (1) ASEAN Tourism Competitiveness Committee, (2) ASEAN Committee for Sustainable and Inclusive Tourism Development, (3) ASEAN Tourism Professional Monitoring Committee, and (4) ASEAN Tourism Resources, Monitoring and Evaluation Committee.
At the Conference, Deputy Director Nguyen Thi Hoa Mai highly appreciated the efforts of ASEAN member countries and the ASEAN Secretariat in implementing the ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan 2016-2025, especially when approaching the final stage. Since the beginning of this year, many projects and events have been completed, contributing to the overall progress of the Plan.
Vietnam reaffirms its commitment to closely cooperate with all member countries and the ASEAN Secretariat in implementing projects in the post-2025 period, especially in areas where Vietnam has strengths.
Vietnam, as Chair of the ASEAN Tourism Resources, Monitoring and Evaluation Committee (ATRMEC), reported on the results of the 19th Committee Meeting held on May 2, 2025 in the Philippines. Some of the main activities of the Committee in 2024-2025 include: Developing the ASEAN Tourism Sector Plan 2026-2030 and the ASEAN Tourism Marketing Strategy 2026-2030, Monitoring and evaluating the progress of implementation and completion of the ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan 2016-2025, Organizing and monitoring activities within the framework of the ASEAN-India Tourism Year 2025, Implementing training on project development within the framework of ASEAN cooperation, etc.
Overview of the 62nd ASEAN National Tourism Organizations Meeting
Within the framework of the conference, the project host countries updated the progress of developing the ASEAN Tourism Sector Plan (ATSP) 2026-2030, the ASEAN Tourism Outlook document and the ASEAN Leaders' Statement on Quality Tourism. The ASEAN Secretariat reported on preparations for the 2nd ASEAN Tourism and Transport Task Force Meeting, progress in considering Timor-Leste's accession to ASEAN, draft mechanisms for ASEAN-China tourism cooperation meetings, and mechanisms for ASEAN-Australia tourism cooperation meetings (it is expected that the ASEAN-China Tourism Ministers' Meeting and the ASEAN-Australia National Tourism Organizations' Meeting will be held every two years at the ASEAN Tourism Forum - ATF).
Within the framework of developing the ASEAN Tourism Outlook document, the representative of the United Nations Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) updated some information and data on regional tourism. In 2024, the number of international visitors to ASEAN will reach 121 million, recovering 88% compared to 2019 before the pandemic. The number of international visitors to ASEAN accounts for 38% of the total number of international visitors to the Asia- Pacific region and 8% of the total number of international tourists in the world. The number of international visitors to Vietnam ranks 3rd in ASEAN (accounting for 14%, after Thailand 29% and Malaysia 21%). Intra-ASEAN remains an important tourist market - the group of 10 leading tourist sending markets of ASEAN in 2023 includes: Singapore, China, Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, India, the United States, and Vietnam.
Also within the framework of the conference, delegates heard reports on the organization of the ASEAN Tourism Ministerial Forum on September 29, 2025 in Melaka, Malaysia on the sidelines of the World Tourism Day Celebration; ATF 2026 Forum in the Philippines; cooperation with ASEAN partners (China, Korea, Japan, India) as well as intra-regional cooperation: Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand triangle (IMT-GT), East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam (CLMV), Mekong-Lancang Tourism Cooperation... ASEAN Tourism Associations, ASEAN Tourism Research Association and affiliated organizations (ASEAN and East Asia Economic Research Institute, Agoda, UN Tourism, ADB) reported on the results of cooperation activities.
The 63rd ASEAN National Tourism Organizations Conference is expected to take place in Cebu, Philippines within the framework of the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2026.
Vietnamese delegation attends the 2nd ASEAN Special Working Group on Tourism and Transport
On the same afternoon, the 2nd ASEAN Special Working Group on Tourism and Transport Meeting took place online, co-chaired by the Chairs of ASEAN National Tourism Organizations and the Chair of the ASEAN Senior Transport Officials' Group.
In her opening remarks, Ms. Verna C. Buensuceso, Undersecretary of the Philippine Department of Tourism, emphasized two priorities of the Working Group mechanism: Identifying connectivity gaps, especially to secondary destinations, and implementing joint tourism-transportation promotion activities including multi-destination tourism programs. The Head of the ASEAN Transport Delegation - Co-chair of the meeting affirmed that close cooperation between transport and tourism will provide solutions to promote travel and distribute reasonable tourist flows, bringing fair opportunities to all destinations.
Participating in the discussion at the meeting, Deputy Director Nguyen Thi Hoa Mai affirmed that close cooperation between tourism and transportation will positively impact the accessibility of destinations, distribute visitor flows to underdeveloped secondary destinations and enhance the competitiveness of the region as a whole. The Deputy Director informed about a number of transportation projects that contribute to facilitating travel, developing tourism and enhancing the experience of visitors, including the new Long Thanh and Gia Binh airport projects, and the project to upgrade international airports to upgrade infrastructure and expand capacity. The Deputy Director also informed about the development of cruise tourism in Vietnam, updating that Phu Quoc international port has opened to international ships since February 2025. A number of major railway projects and tourism activities via luxury tourist trains in Vietnam were also informed to the entire meeting.
At the meeting, the parties heard the report on the results of the first meeting of the ASEAN Special Working Group on Tourism and Transport, and updated the recovery situation of the aviation and cruise tourism industries through presentations from representatives of airlines, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).
IATA said aviation is a major driver of tourism, with 58% of international arrivals travelling by air. In 2023, the aviation industry created 17 million jobs in ASEAN, including 11 million jobs related to tourism; contributing US$210 billion to GDP. IATA suggested focusing on improving the traveler experience, ensuring seamless connections without too many transfers, simplifying visa procedures, improving the quality of the airport experience, and competing on price by considering reducing taxes and fees related to tourism.
CLIA reported that in 2024, there were 34.6 million cruise passengers, an increase of 9.3% compared to 2023, a full recovery and an increase of 6.8% compared to 2019. However, the Asian region in general has not fully recovered, in 2024 it reached 2.63 million cruise passengers, only recovering 62.3% compared to 2019. However, cruise tourism still affirms its potential and makes a great contribution to the economy, through creating 1.6 million jobs, contributing 85.6 billion USD globally (2023 data).
Another important issue discussed was the determination of destination classification in ASEAN and solutions to promote promotion and connectivity, especially for less prominent destinations in the region. The meeting is a practical step in linking tourism development strategy with transport infrastructure network, towards an increasingly connected and sustainable ASEAN.
Delegates take photos at Boracay beach, Philippines
The Vietnamese delegation will continue to attend events in Boracay including the 46th ASEAN+3 National Tourism Organizations Meeting, the 33rd ASEAN-India Tourism Working Group Meeting, and the Policy Workshop for the ASEAN Tourism Sector Plan.
Vietnam National Tourism Administration
Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/viet-nam-tham-du-hoi-nghi-co-quan-du-lich-quoc-gia-asean-lan-thu-62-20250805082430676.htm
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