A wide range of tourism
programs have been developed to serve tourists during the Week such as tours
connecting local renowned destinations, including Ngu Hanh Son Mountain, Museum
of Cham Sculpture, Son Tra peninsula, the ancient Hoi An city and Hue citadel,
Than Tai Mountain, and night boat tours on the Han River.
A corner of Hoi An ancient town. Photo: vietnam-guide.com
Besides, the municipal Department of Tourism prepared about 13,000
rooms at seaside resorts and hotels to serve the Week, while providing staff
and chefs of hotels and restaurants with professional training.
Head of the Vietnam
National Tourism Administration Nguyen Van Tuan said the APEC event is a
"golden chance” to promote Vietnam as an open and friendly country.
A research of Assoc.
Prof., Dr. Pham Trung Luong from the Vietnam Environment and Sustainable
Development Institute showed that APEC economies have become attractive and
friendly destinations for tourists in recent years. In 2015, the region served
396 million visitors, or 33 percent of total holidaymakers of the world,
generating revenue exceeding USD 598 billion and accounting for 44.5 percent of
the world’s tourism revenue.
The World Tourism
Organization of the United Nations forecast that the Asia-Pacific region will
receive 27 percent of the world’s tourists by 2020.
The APEC Economic
Leaders’ Week is expected to bring together heads of state and some 10,000
delegates from 21 APEC member economies.
Established in 1989, APEC
comprises 21 economies, namely Australia; Brunei; Canada; Chile; China; Hong
Kong (China); Indonesia; Japan; the Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New
Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; the Philippines; Russia; Singapore; Chinese
Taipei; Thailand; the United States; and Vietnam.
Vietnam joined APEC in
1998, and hosted APEC in 2006.
Source: PANO