ACMECS countries support sustainable tourism

ACMECS countries support sustainable tourism

ACMECS countries support sustainable tourism

Dao Loan

Representatives of travel firms meet at the HCMC International Travel Expo last week – PHOTO: DAO LOAN

HCMC – High-ranking tourism officials of the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) involving Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam have pledged to join forces to promote sustainable tourism growth in the region.

The pledge was made as part of a statement issued at the ACMECS Summit during the HCMC International Travel Expo (ITE HCMC) with the theme “Five countries – one destination” on September 8-10.

ACMECS countries have registered encouraging tourism growth over the past years, heard the summit. Last year alone, the five nations attracted 52 million international visitors, up 17% year-on-year and 8.8 million intra-region tourists, up 8%.

However, the rapid growth of the tourism industry and more arrivals have negatively affected the environment. Therefore, the countries committed to developing the sector in a responsible and sustainable manner to cushion the impact.

The joint statement reaffirms the region’s strong commitment to sustainable development in the tourism sector and creation of suitable conditions for members to make responsible use of resources to improve tourism services and spur socio-economic growth, said a press release issued after the summit.

The ITE HCMC also featured programs to connect local and foreign travel agencies and tourism service providers, conferences to tourism promotion in Australia and New Zealand, and new trends in tourism promotion.

ACMECS countries support sustainable tourism Related image(s)