Union Minister Dr Htay Aung Participates in Asia-Pacific Ecotourism Summit 2022

Union Minister for Hotels and Tourism Dr Htay Aung attended as a keynote speaker, the Asia-Pacific Ecotourism Summit 2022, honouring the 20^th anniversary of the International Ecotourism celebration as a keynote speaker. This summit was held on 8 January through virtual, and organized by Asian Ecotourism Network (AEN).

During the summit, the Union Minister discussed the following points:

· The strategic plans were drawn up for the reopening of the tourism sector based on the COVID-19 prevention measures.

· The strategic roadmap for tourism revival in Myanmar (2021-2025) has been drawn up and plans are being made to resume the tourism sector.

· The responsible tourism policy, Myanmar tourism master plan, community-based tourism policy, ecotourism policy for natural areas in Myanmar and tourism policies such as governance strategies have been formulated in collaboration with international experts for the sustainable development of the tourism sector in Myanmar.

· There are also 19 protected areas and 22 elephant camps in Myanmar designated as ecotourism areas. For the development of the entire tourism sector including ecotourism, the government, private sector and locals must work together in coordination and synchronization, and keep in line with tourism ethics as well.

At the summit, the representatives from Myanmar, India, Mongolia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Norway, and European Ecotourism Network gave ecotourism keynote talks, discussed ecotourism support policies and read the papers concerning with ecotourism.

• The strategic roadmap for tourism revival in Myanmar (2021-2025) has been drawn up and plans are being made to resume the tourism sector.
• There are also 19 protected areas and 22 elephant camps in Myanmar designated as ecotourism areas.
• For the development of the entire tourism sector including ecotourism, the government, private sector and locals must work together in coordination and synchronization, and keep in line with tourism ethics as well.