Brunei Participates In Asean Tourism Forum In Singapore
By Azlan Othman

Bandar Seri Begawan - The Asean Tourism Forum (ATF) 2007 was officially launched on Tuesday (Jan 30) at the Raffles City Convention Centre by Singapore's Senior Minister, Mr Gob Chok Tong, and Asean Tourism Ministers who are in Singapore to discuss strengthening regional integration and collaboration to ensure Asean remains competitive and attractive as a destination, ETN Travel Wire News reported. Brunei is represented by Minister of Industry and Primary Resources, Pehin Dato Seri Setia Dr Awg Hj Ahmad.

ATF 2007 is taking place at the Raffles City Convention Centre and the Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre in Suntec City from Jan 26 to Feb 3.

During the launch, the 21st Asean Tourism Association (ASEANTA) Awards for Excellence in Tourism were presented to four winners. The awards recognise Asean individuals and organisations which have contributed to the development and promotion of Asean tourism products.

The four awards are Best Asean Travel Article, Best Asean Tourism Photo, Best Asean Cultural Preservation Effort and Best Asean New Tourist Attraction.

The annual meetings of the Asean Tourism Ministers and Heads of National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) began on Jan 26, 2007.

At these meetings, Asean officials reaffirmed their commitment to the overall vision of Asean tourism integration and to strengthen and hasten integration and collaboration in the branding and joint promotion ofAsean, connectivity within Asean, co-operation in crisis communications, youth exchange, and capability development and quality assurance.

Prior to the opening ceremony, the Senior Minister and Ministers were brought on a tour of the Uniquely Singapore exhibits that highlights unique facets of Singapore as a destination.

These include an overview of the two Integrated Resorts - Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World at Sentosa. The guests at the opening ceremony were later treated to an Asean extravaganza showcasing its past, present and future.

The programme highlights exciting attributes of Asean as a destination that has increasingly draw more visitors over the last three years.

In his opening address Senior Minister said, "In order to promote Asean as a single destination, all of us need to work together to hasten integration and build the unified Asean brand globally."

"We have already achieved good results with the activities under the Visit Asean Campaign, and the recent signing of the Asean Framework Agreement on Visa Exemption. Going forward, we will need to continuously explore developing trends and spot new opportunities in the competitive global tourism arena." -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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