Japan, ASEAN ministers pledge to promote sustainable tourism

30-10-23

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Japan have agreed to enhance cooperation to create sustainable tourist destinations at the ASEAN-Japan Tourism Ministers’ Special Dialogue that was held from October 27-29 in Tokyo.

The event, which was also to commemorate the 50th year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation, discussed the “Next 50 Years with ASEAN and Japan: Designing the Path to Sustainable Tourism Together”.

According to the joint media statement released after the dialogue, the two sides agreed to promote innovative marketing activities for sustainable tourism while highlighting the unique cultural and natural attractions of ASEAN and Japan.

They reaffirmed the importance of developing tourism content to promote the protection, conservation, and inheritance of important resources such as nature, culture, and traditions while leveraging these resources for tourism to develop sustainable destinations that benefit both residents and travellers.

They also agreed to promote efforts to generate more tourism-related job opportunities for communities, share professional knowledge and organise training courses to improve skills for labourers in the field.