Vietnam joined Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Indonesia at the third ministerial meeting on tourism and cultural cooperation, which was held in the Lao city of Vientiane on November 16.
Delegates at the event shared their view that tourism cooperation among ASEAN countries has been highly effective. Notably, the development of tourism in combination with cultural heritage has offered tourists opportunities to both enjoy landscapes and explore culture.
The attendees agreed that it is important to preserve cultural values to enhance the sustainable development of tourism. They also suggested intensified connectivity among countries to fully utilise cultural heritage to serve tourism.
The Vietnamese delegation, led by Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Vuong Duy Bien, asked the countries to further advertise the region’s tourism at international forums and exchange experiences in tourism management and development in an effective way.
Meanwhile, Lao delegates highlighted the Buddhist culture in the region and suggested the popularisation of Buddhism as one potential area of benefit. Tourism programmers, partnerships between the State and private sectors and the training of human resources for tourism could also be developed, they argued.
On this occasion, the six countries are set to present their cultural identities through arts performances at Laos’ That Luong festival on November 16 night.