Historic 34th ASEAN Tourism Forum kicks off in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar

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Written by Linda Hohnholz

The historic 34th ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) kicks off in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar where some 2,000 tourism professionals will gather for this eight-day event.

The historic 34th ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) kicks off in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar where some 2,000 tourism professionals will gather for this eight-day event.

The ATF began at the Myanmar International Convention Centre (MICC) 1 in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar with the 41st Meeting of the ASEAN National Tourism Organizations (NTOs). Some 300 delegates including tourism ministers and NTO officials are flying in for the event which is being held in Myanmar for the first time. Over the next few days, some 2,000 delegates from over 50 countries will gather in Nay Pyi Taw for ATF 2015.

H.E. U Htay Aung, Union Minister of the Myanmar Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, said, โ€œWe would like to extend a warm welcome to all ATF 2015 delegates, sellers, buyers, media and trade visitors to Myanmar. I hope the meetings, discussions and conversations we will have over the next few days will be fruitful, and that at the same time, you will have the opportunity to experience for yourself Myanmarโ€™s rich culture and biodiversity, as well as our peopleโ€™s charm and hospitality.โ€

From 22 to 26 January, the ASEAN tourism ministers and NTOs, together with their counterparts from countries such as China, India, Japan, Korea (Republic of Korea) and Russia will convene in a series of meetings to discuss issues concerning tourism in the region, as part of the official ATF 2015 programme.

Themed โ€˜ASEAN โ€“ Tourism Towards Peace, Prosperity and Partnershipโ€™, ATF 2015 will be officially opened on 26 January at an opening ceremony graced by H.E. U Thein Sein, President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and Mr Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the UNWTO. At the opening ceremony, Myanmar will be formally presented the award for ‘Best in Travel โ€“ AEC Country’ 2014 by Lonely Planet Traveller. Also part of the programme are the presentation of the ASEANTA (ASEAN Tourism Association) Awards for Excellence and cultural performances.

From 26 to 29 January, key activities of the ATF 2015 Official Programme include:

ASEAN Tourism Ministers Press Conference (26 Jan)
ASEAN Tourism Conference (27 Jan)
Media briefings by each of the 10 ASEAN member countriesโ€™ NTO (27 to 29 Jan)
TRAVEX, the travel mart showcasing products and services by ASEAN sellers (28 and 29 Jan)

ASEAN Tourism Conference

Themed โ€˜Tourism in the ASEAN Community 2015โ€™, the half-day ASEAN Tourism Conference (ATC) on 27 January will feature a group of speakers from diverse backgrounds and expertise to discourse challenges and solutions for promoting tourism in the region. The panel discussion, moderated by Ms Carmen Roberts, a travel writer and television presenter with BBC, will cover a range of topics including Mutual Recognition Agreement on Tourism Professionals (MRA-TP), ASEAN Tourism Standards, ASEAN Open Skies Policy and Responsible Tourism Planning and Development in Myanmar.

Open to all participants of ATF 2015, ATC is an invaluable opportunity for tourism players to gain insights from industry experts and get the โ€˜Myanmar perspectiveโ€™ from the countryโ€™s Union Minister of Ministry for Hotels and Tourism, U Htay Aung, and Chairman of Myanmar Tourism Federation, U Yan Win, who will deliver the keynote address and welcome speech respectively.

The detailed ATC programme and profiles of the speakers can be found on the event website at www.atf-2015.com/atc.html.

Strong participation from local exhibitors and visitors

TRAVEX, the two-day travel exhibition component of ATF, has attracted strong participation, with host country Myanmar participating with its largest ever contingent. U Phyoe Wai Yar Zar, Chairman of Myanmar Tourism Marketing (MTM), said, โ€œIt is encouraging and heartening to see so many local companies participating given that this is the first time Myanmar is hosting ATF. It is also a reflection of the rapidly growing tourism industry in Myanmar. We are eagerly anticipating the start of TRAVEX and to share our countryโ€™s beauties and hospitality with all ATF participants.โ€

In total, some 1000 sellers comprising ASEAN hoteliers, tour operators and travel agencies, national tourism boards, airline professionals, restaurateurs, attraction and theme park owners, and companies from other sectors of the industry have snapped up 527 booths at TRAVEX on 28 and 29 January to showcase their destinations, products and services. (The list of participating exhibitors can be found at www.atf-2015.com/travex.html.) They will meet with some 300 buyers from over 40 countries at pre-scheduled one-on-one appointments to explore, negotiate and ink new deals. Three hundred local and foreign trade visitors are also expected to attend TRAVEX.

Mr Andrew Carroll, Global Head of Sales and Marketing at Exotic Voyages, said, โ€œAs a luxury travel company tour operator with a passion for extraordinary journeys, ATF has always been an important event for us to seek out new destinations and adventures for our clients. This yearโ€™s ATF in Myanmar is extra special, as Myanmar is a unique and new destination for international visitors in every sense of the word. Based in Vietnam with offices globally, we are in a unique position to provide expert local knowledge of the region to our clients from around the planet.โ€

Keen interest from sponsors and media
As a first-time event in Myanmar, ATF 2015 has received overwhelming support from both local Myanmar companies as well as established international brands:
Official Bank Partner
C B Bank
Official Tourism Partners
KBZ Group
Htoo Group
Max Hotels Group
Supporting Airline
Golden Myanmar Airlines
Ministersโ€™ Golf Sponsor
Pico Art International
Official Broadcast Media
CNN International
Official Media & TRAVEX Golf Sponsor
TTG Asia Media
Official Telco Partner
Telenor
Supporting Sponsors
ACCOR
Elite Tech
Garuda Indonesia
IBTC Group
Kempinski Hotel Nay Pyi Taw
KMA Hotels Group
Loi Hein Co., Ltd
MasterCard
Nagar Pyan Tea Enterpise
Keen to profile their brands to key members of the local, regional and international tourism community present at ATF 2015, ACCOR, CNN International, Kempinski Hotel Nay Pyi Taw, KMA Hotels Group and MasterCard will be hosting selected luncheons and dinner functions for the tourism ministers, NTO delegations, sellers, buyers and media.

Some 100 members of the media, of which more than half are foreign trade media, will also be attending the event. ATF 2015 is also supported by the following media: MICE in Asia, Safari Plus, The Straits Times Myanmar Edition, Tourism around the World Monthly, Travel and Tour World and TTR Weekly.

ATF 2015 will close on 29 January with a ceremony for handing over of the ATF flag to next yearโ€™s host, Philippines.

Those keen to attend ATC and/or TRAVEX may register onsite at MICC 1 from 27 January onwards for a fee of USD100. For more information, please visit www.atf-2015.com.

ATF 2015 is hosted by the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, organised by Myanmar Tourism Federation and managed by MP Singapore and Myanmar Ventures Group.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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