Hanoi will be the venue for around 1,500 delegates, including tourism ministers, leaders of national tourism offices, travel agents, tour operators, press corps… in the region and also worldwide, to gather at a regional forum focusing on tourism scheduled for September 5-12, 2009.

The ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) is the most important and the largest-scale activity in the ASEAN tourism cooperation framework. This is a big event of political, economic and social significances, a collective initiative aiming at turning ASEAN into a united tourist destination and at sustainable tourism development, thus contributing to visitor exchanges, friendly cooperation, cultural exchanges, peace and prosperity development in the region.

The ASEAN Tourism Forum 2009 will include meetings of task forces on ASEAN Tourism Integration, meetings of leaders of national tourism offices and meetings of ASEAN tourism ministers and dialogue partners.

An ASEAN Tourism Expo (Travex) which is expected to attract around 1,400 tour operators, hotels, airlines and media agencies from ASEAN, North America, Northeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand will be organised.

Other sideline activities including a tourism conference and sight-seeing tours for delegates will also be held during the event.

This is the first time Vietnam has organised such a big event. According to the host Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the forum is a good chance for the host country to promote its tourism potential and expand tourism cooperation with foreign countries.

The ASEAN Tourism Forum was held for the first time in Malaysia in 1981 and is hosted by regional member countries in rotation. Vietnam joined the forum in 1998.