HCM City to host Asian-Pacific cities’ tourism promotion forum

The 8th Tourism Promotion Organization for Asian-Pacific Cities (TPO) Forum will take place in Ho Chi Minh City on June 21-22, said the municipal Department of Tourism on June 15.

Themed “Smart tourism”, the event is expected to draw the attendance of about 300 delegates from 25 cities of six TPO member countries.

It will focus on measures to improve tourism development capacity of OTP member cities. Delegates to the event will also propose initiatives and strategies to promote the development of the tourism sector amidst the fourth industrial revolution.

The forum will include two sessions on “Smart Tourism” and “Case Study Presentation by member cities on Smart Tourism”, with the participations of international speakers and experts operating the tourism field.

Other programmes will be the 31th Meeting of the TPO Executive Committee, the TPO Travel Trade exchange and a smart tourism exhibition; the TPO Bilateral Meeting, and the TPO Best Award.

In the TPO Bilateral Meeting, representatives from Busan city of the Republic of Korea with the role as the Chairmanship of TPO and ten member cities in the organisation’s Executive Committee, including HCM City, will discuss orientations for the operation of TPO in the coming times, and ways to enhance cooperation in developing tourism among TPO members.

Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Tourism, said the highlights of the forum would be initiatives and strategies to push smart tourism development.

She hoped that by hosting the forum, HCM City’s tourism sector could uphold its position in Asia Pacific, and enhance tourism cooperation with other member cities of TPO, thus strengthening the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam in general and HCM City in particular with foreign countries.

TPO is an international organization established in 2002 at the 5th Asian-Pacific City Summit. TPO was borne to be an inter-city network to promote the exchanges and development of the tourism industry among major cities in the Asia Pacific region.

HCM City is a co-founder and member of the Executive Board. Currently, the organisation consists of 86 cities, and 45 travel agencies and institutes and other tourism organisations from 10 Asia-Pacific countries and territories.

VNA