APEC meeting discusses concerted efforts for tourism recovery

BANGKOK, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Tourism ministers and delegates from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies convened here on Friday for making concerted efforts to accelerate tourism recovery in the region.

During the 11th APEC Tourism Ministerial Meeting, attendees discussed APEC's cooperation guidelines to accelerate tourism revitalization in the post-COVID-19 era and the role of the tourism sector in promoting the well-being of people in the region, Thailand's Minister of Tourism and Sports Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn told a press conference after the meeting.

"We also exchanged experiences in promoting the recovery in each economy and discussed how to maintain tourism's status as a sector that contributes to the benefit and well-being of the people of the APEC region," said the minister, who chaired the meeting.

A chair's statement was issued after the meeting, instead of a joint statement as economies were unable to reach consensus in one paragraph of the draft joint statement, he said without elaborating.

Risks that weigh on the global and regional tourism recovery included COVID-19 and economic challenges, as well as rising fuel and food prices that lead to higher travel costs and inflation that erodes tourism and leisure spending, according to the chair's statement.

"Significant new uncertainties and challenges have heightened the need to harness our cooperation and advance work on sustainable tourism, to achieve our vision of an open, dynamic, resilient and peaceful Asia-Pacific community by 2040," according to the statement.