Vietnam accompanies UN Tourism towards sustainable development

Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Ha Van Sieu led the Vietnamese delegation to attend the Conferences.

Vietnam actively participated in regional conferences in preparation for the 26th UN Tourism General Assembly: the 56th Commission for East Asia and the Pacific (CA) and the 37th Joint Commission Meeting for East Asia and the Pacific & South Asia (CAP-CSA).

Under the authorization of the leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Ha Van Sieu led the Vietnamese delegation to attend these conferences, along with senior representatives from member countries, leaders of UN Tourism and international partners such as Traveloka, Amadeus, ForwardKeys, JATA...

This is an important preparation step towards the 26th UN Tourism General Assembly, scheduled to be held from November 7-11 in Saudi Arabia.

Spirit of cooperation, shaping the future of regional tourism

In her opening speech, Ms. Widiyanti Putri Wardhana, Minister of Tourism of Indonesia, representing the host country of the Conference, affirmed the increasingly important role of tourism in economic growth and sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region.

She emphasized that this is a favorable time for member countries to share effective models and pioneering initiatives, promoting practical contributions of the tourism industry to the community and society.

These meetings not only assess the post-pandemic recovery achievements but also set strategic directions for the next phase of growth of the regional tourism industry, through discussing action programs, selecting personnel for affiliated agencies and promoting multilateral linkages within UN Tourism.

Vietnam - Proactive and responsible partner

At the 56th East Asia and Pacific Commission Meeting, the Vietnamese delegation and member countries participated in discussions and voted to nominate key personnel positions for approval at the 26th UN Tourism General Assembly.

The positions include: Vice President of the General Assembly (Philippines); Member of the General Assembly Credentials Committee (Laos); Chairman of the East Asia and Pacific Commission for the 2025-2027 term (Philippines); Vice President of the Commission for the 2025-2027 term (Japan, Fiji).

In addition, the countries also voted to approve members of the agencies under the UN Tourism Executive Council for the 2025-2029 term, including: Online Tourism Training Committee (Korea); International Code of Conduct Committee for the Protection of Tourists (Indonesia).

Speaking at the 37th CAP - CSA Joint Committee Conference, Deputy Director Ha Van Sieu emphasized Vietnam's active role in regional tourism recovery efforts, with flexible visa policies, strong promotion activities and diverse development of new tourism products.

“Vietnam is ready to work closely with the Regional Department for Asia and the Pacific (RDAP), the UN Tourism Regional Support Office in Japan (RSOAP), as well as affiliated partners to organize future events and cooperation programs,” he affirmed.

Important Asia-Pacific regional conference prepares for the 26th UN Tourism General Assembly

International tourism recovers, aiming for sustainable growth

The UN Tourism report at the Conference showed that in 2024, there will be about 1.4 billion international tourist arrivals, approaching the 1.5 billion arrivals in 2019, the time before the pandemic.

The Asia-Pacific region is witnessing a strong recovery, with an average international visitor recovery rate of 87%, of which Vietnam is impressive at 98%, one of the highest rates in the region.

It is forecasted that by 2025, the number of international tourists worldwide will increase by 3-5%, moving towards a state of stable growth.

Despite the positive signals, the region is still facing a series of challenges: shortage of high-quality human resources, escalating travel costs, exchange rate fluctuations, fierce competition among destinations and the impact of economic recession in source markets.

To address these issues, UN Tourism recommends that countries prioritize digital transformation, artificial intelligence application, innovation, infrastructure investment, promoting green tourism and improving tourism human resources capacity - pillars that will ensure resilience and sustainable growth for the global tourism industry.

Vietnam - a model of recovery and companionship with the region

Speaking at the conference, Deputy Director Ha Van Sieu said: “The Asia-Pacific region is witnessing an impressive transformation of the tourism industry after the pandemic. Countries have constantly innovated their development thinking, strengthened connections, promoted and expanded visa policies, creating a premise for a more sustainable development period.”

Vietnam continues to affirm its role as a responsible and active partner in all regional and international cooperation processes.

Deeply participating in UN Tourism agendas and proactively promoting international linkage and promotion activities is not only a tourism recovery strategy, but also part of Vietnam's long-term commitment to the sustainable development of the global "smokeless industry".

On April 16, 2025, Deputy Director Ha Van Sieu continued to represent Vietnam to attend the UN Tourism Regional Conference with the theme "Tourism policy in the circular economy".

The conference is expected to discuss in depth tourism development strategies that adapt to sustainable development trends, reduce emissions and recycle resources throughout the industry's entire value chain.

Vietnam's active presence and increasingly influential voice at international forums is clear evidence of the strategic vision and increasingly enhanced role of Vietnamese tourism on the world map.

According to Culture Newspaper

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/viet-nam-dong-hanh-cung-un-tourism-huong-toi-phat-trien-ben-vung-2025041610324914.htm