The Head of the Kuala Lumpur authority, Muhamad Sidek said he hoped that city members of the council would disseminate information about the grand celebration to travel companies and tourists.

Dewi Susanti, director of the centre for tourism service in Jakarta said that the celebration would be a good opportunity for tourism promotion.

The seventh annual conference of the council opened in Hanoi on Sunday to seek ways to develop the regional tourism network.

The council said that it would focus on building a strong link between private travel companies of member cities.

The President of the Hanoi Travel Association, Nguyen Quang Lan, suggested the council offer support for missior travel enterprises.

Sidek agreed that close cooperation between private and State travel companies would be vital in developing tourism.

The function was attended by representatives from Hanoi, Bangkok, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, New Delhi, Jakarta, Manila and Seoul.