Industry response for next year’s ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) has been positive, with over 350 TRAVEX (travel exchange) booths contracted, and some 550 applications for the Hosted Buyers Programme. The TRAVEX sellers, made up of suppliers of ASEAN travel and tourism products and services, come from the 10 member nations of ASEAN – Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – altogether will take up 8,000 square metres of space.

Participation from host country Myanmar is at an all-time high. U Phyoe Wai Yar Zar, Chairman of Myanmar Tourism Marketing (MTM), said, “The local hoteliers, tour operators and other players in the industry are very much looking forward to next year’s event, this being the first time that ATF is coming to Myanmar. It will be our opportunity to share our country’s rich history and culture with the rest of the world.” MTM is a non-governmental, non-political and non-profit organisation that functions as the marketing arm of Myanmar Tourism Federation, under the guidance of the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.

Hosted by the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the theme adopted for the show is ‘ASEAN – Tourism towards Peace, Prosperity and Partnership’.

It has also been confirmed that the official venue for ATF 2015 will be the Myanmar International Convention Centre (MICC) 1. While the key components of the official ATF 2015 programme such as TRAVEX and ASEAN Tourism Conference, will be held at the newly completed 60,000 square-metre exhibition and convention centre. The venue has hosted numerous national level meetings and international business events, including the recently concluded 24thASEAN Summit.

The ATF 2015 will run from 22 to 29 January in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar,

For more information on ATF 2015, please visit www.atf-2015.com.