(TITC)_ From 17 - 24 January 2013, the 32nd ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) is held in Vientiane, Laos under the theme "ASEAN - Hand in Hand, Conquering our future". The participants of Viet Nam delegation in ATF 2013 are Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho Anh Tuan, Deputy General Director of Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism Hoang Thi Diep, leaders of MoCST and VNAT's departments, departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism of some provinces and cities and tourism businesses.
ATF 2013 programme includes key activities such as Meeting of the ASEAN Tourism Ministers, Meeting of the 37th ASEAN National Tourism Organizations, 22nd Meeting of the ASEAN NTOs + 3 (China, Japan and Republic of Korea), 10th Meeting of the ASEAN NTOs + India, 4th Meeting of the ASEAN NTOs + Russia, Travex and many other on-site activities.
First established in 1981 in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), ATF has played a very important role in the region's tourism development. This is a big political, socio-economic event and also an initiative and collective cooperation to make contributions to turn ASEAN into a general tourism destination and promote sustainable tourism development. ATF also helps enhance visitors exchanging activities, friendship cooperation, cultural exchanges, peace consolidation, and regional prosperity development.
ASEAN symbolises unity in diversity and this is most evident in its thriving tourism industry, a key economic driver for Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Under the theme "ASEAN - Hand in Hand, Conquering our future", ATF 2013 is a convention wherein the ASEAN region comes as one to promote ASEAN tourism.
Hong Thanh