Addressing the closing ceremony, the Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr. Tran Chien Thang, affirmed Vietnam’s resolve to cooperate with other regional countries to turn ASEAN into an attractive destination with the aim of sustainable developing the non-smoking sector.

Vietnam plans to facilitate the expansion of tourism activities among its domestic businesses as well as its foreign partners, and hopes to receive further assistance and cooperation from other member states, Mr. Thang said.

He then presented an ATF flag to the representative of Brunei’s tourist agency, which is scheduled to host the next ATF in 2010.

This year’s forum saw the participation of more than 200 delegates from the ten ASEAN member countries and their dialogue partners, who shared experiences and agreed unanimously on the need to build a dynamic and developed ASEAN tourist industry.

They passed an agreement to improve the quality of the region’s tourism services, facilitate the transfer of skilled labourers within the region, and further the development of the region’s tourism industry.

They also agreed upon a joint statement regarding tourism cooperation over the recent past and arrived at a future orientation to transform tourism into a spearhead economic sector.

Vietnam’s tourist industry revealed plans for numerous activities to create breakthroughs during 2009, including a promotion scheme to reduce costs by 30-50%, scheduled to begin in September.

The Government and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is set to create more policies and plans, as well as levels of investment designed to ensure the sustainable development of the tourist industry.