The 55th APEC TWG(Tourism Working Group) conference took place joined by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Organization(APEC), the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Korea Tourism Organization at SONO Calm Yeosu Hotel from 8th November to 10th November.
The APEC Tourism Working Group is a regular consultation group that brings together tourism practitioners from 21 member countries. It is aimed at sharing information on tourism policy and global tourism trends, and discuss alternative ways to cooperate in the development of the tourism industry in the region.
Since its establishment in 1991, they've had two regular meetings every year. The 24th (2004 Jinju) and 26th (2005 Busan) meetings had been held in Korea.
The reason why the meeting held in Yeosu, Jeollanam-do is that it was designed to introduce hidden tourist attractions in Korea. In particular, the conference also was held as a realtime video conference to increase the participation of member countries.
On the first day of the event, Kim Jong-yoon, CEO of Yanolja, gave a keynote speech on how to activate the tourism industry in the region. After the speech, each member country issued its "Sustainable Tourism Promotion Status", and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Bureau gave the presentations and discussions on tourism cooperation projects. The Korean government also introduced success case stories such as Tourdure(관광두레) and Durunubi(두루누비).
On the second day, tourism practitioners from member countries shared various opinions about the Strategic Plan 2020-2024, which presents the tourism policy direction of the APEC Tourism Working Group for the next five years.
On the last day, the applicants joined a “Technical Tour” program to explore the tourist spots in Yeosu and Suncheon. This tour introduces the popular attractions of Yeosu and Suncheon, including Naganeupseong Folk Village in Suncheon, Yeosu Maritime Cable Car and Odong-do in Yeosu. This tour provided a good opportunity to introduce Korea's outstanding natural scenery and traditional culture.
[Photos: Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism]
