ATF 2023 Focuses on Tourism Strategies in the ASEAN Region

VIVA – The ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2023 is the biggest annual tourism event in the ASEAN region held at Yogyakarta, Indonesia, starting from February 3-5, 2023. This prestigious event discusses various collaborative efforts of ASEAN countries to strengthen the implementation of the region's tourism strategy (ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan/ATSP).

"ASEAN countries encourage each ASEAN national tourism organization to be able to identify strategic steps and activities to improve the implementation of the ATSP in the coming years," Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno said in a joint ATF statement at the Mariott Hotel, Yogyakarta on Sunday.

Sandiaga Uno said that in the ATF 2023, ASEAN countries focused on discussing tourism activities in the region based on the ATSP 2016-2025.

According to him, all delegates appreciated the steps taken by the ASEAN National Tourism Organization following what had been agreed to increase the number of visitors to the Southeast Asian region.

Through ATF 2023, ASEAN member states are encouraged to continue implementing and re-evaluating their priority activities in line with the ATSP. Minister Sandiaga said that 60 percent of the strategies and steps taken by member countries have recently been following the ATSP work plan.

As Chair of Meeting ATF 2023, Sandiaga Uno said ASEAN countries and partners appreciated the relaxation and removal of travel restrictions by ASEAN member countries.

Because of this policy, international tourist arrivals in ASEAN in 2022 increased by 1,706 percent compared to the previous year, "The hotel occupancy rate also increased by 16 percent compared to 2021," Sandiaga Uno stated.

ASEAN has relentlessly worked together to promote ASEAN as a destination of choice by working to restore tourist confidence, showcasing the diversity, warmth, resilience, fun, and adventure that symbolize the people in the ASEAN region.

One of these efforts is to strengthen the potential of cruise tourism as one of the sectors that will strengthen ASEAN tourism recovery, minister Sandiaga Uno said.

"The meeting also emphasized the need to increase cooperation with relevant partners to strengthen promotion and marketing efforts,"

Sandiaga further said, the ATF 2023 meeting also agreed on several other things, such as increasing the capacity of ASEAN tourism professionals through the Mutual Recognition Arrangement for Tourism Professionals (MRA-TP), increasing the development of responsible, sustainable, and inclusive tourism.

"As well as encouraging the transformation and adoption of digital tourism," he said.