Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s proposal for Vietnam to host the 38th ASEAN Tourism Forum in 2019.

The annual event, likely to be held in Hanoi, Da Nang or Ho Chi Minh City, brings together tourism officials and industry executives from the 10 ASEAN member nations and dialogue partners China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Russia.

It will also include an ASEAN tourism ministers’ conference, meetings of national tourism agency officials and an ASEAN Travel Expo.

Launched in 1981, ATF is the biggest ASEAN tourism cooperation event and seeks to develop the bloc into a regional tourism destination, strengthen exchanges and cooperation and consolidate regional peace and prosperity.

The previous one, titled “One Community for Sustainability”, was held in the Philippines from January 18 to 22 this year with the participation of around 1,600 delegates from 50 countries.