 Officials and experts on tourism from Asia and Europe are meeting in east China's port city of Yantai for discussions that might shape the future of the tourism industry on the two continents.
The Forum and Exhibition on Tourism Investment and Cooperation is organized by ASEM, or the Asia-Europe Meeting.
CRI reporter Ning Yan attended the forum's opening ceremony Thursday morning, and sent back more details from the event.
Reporter:
The city of Yantai is having a busy October when it comes to tourism. First, there was the week-long National Day Holiday at the very beginning of this month. And now it is the ASEM Tourism Investment and Cooperation Forum and Expo, the first large-scale activity organized within the ASEM framework in the tourism investment and trade sector.
The four-day event features forums, exhibitions, investment and trade talks, as well as the promotion of culture and tourism.
More than 150 delegations from both home and abroad are attending the forum and expo, including non-ASEM members like the United States and Australia.
Dato Donald is Deputy Minister of Tourism for Malaysia.
“I believe this event will strengthen the relationship between China and all participating countries, provide opportunities for the delegates to develop business relationships, to discuss issues pertaining to tourism and to chart the direction of ASEM members’ tourism industry in the near future.”
Participants to the forum are to focus on such issues as tourism development planning, the sustainable development of the tourism industry, investment policies and environment, the integration of tourism resources and sharing of travel information.
The exhibition, on the other hand, is expected to serve as a platform for exhibitors to showcase different cultures, tourism attractions and related services.
In addition, such activities as travel routes and investment promotion and field studies will be launched to add special light to the event.
The ongoing meeting is considered important for both Asia and Europe, especially China’s ties with Europe regarding tourism. It is said that Europe is China's second largest source of inbound tourists next to the rest of Asia. Europe is also China's second largest tourist destination after Asia.
The deputy director of China’s Administration of Tourism, Wang Zhifa, says in his keynote speech that the ongoing forum and expo will have a significant impact on tourism development on the two continents.
“China is the world’s largest developing country, while Europe is the most developed economic entity. It’s our common wish to further boost tourism exchanges between China and Europe, and between Asia and Europe. This will have an important and far-reaching impact on the development of tourism in China, the rest of Asia and Europe.”
ASEM is an informal forum of dialogue and co-operation bringing together the 25 European Union member states and 13 Asian countries. Their combined GDP accounts for half the world's total.
Ning Yan, CRI news, Yantai, Shandong Province
|
Director: Liu Chi