Korea, ASEAN to strengthen cultural ties
ASEAN-Korea Centre Secretary General Kim Young-sun, fouth from left, poses with ASEAN-Korea Centre’s Head of Culture and Tourism Unit Muhamad Daud Muhamad Arif, third from left, at the 20th meeting of the ASEAN tourism ministers and international organizations in Singapore on Jan. 19. / Courtesy of the ASEAN-Korea Centre
By Rachel Lee
Korea and ASEAN countries gathered in Singapore on Jan. 16-20 to discuss ways to promote tourism in the Korean market.
At the “36th ASEAN Tourism Forum 2017,” the ASEAN-Korea Centre shared cooperation opportunities between the two regions and introduced events designed for the “ASEAN-ROK Cultural Exchange Year” under the theme “Shaping Our Tourism Journey Together.” Tourism ministers from ASEAN and the major dialogue partners such as Korea, China, Japan, India and Russia attended the meeting.
“People-to-people exchange between ASEAN and Korea reached almost 8 million in 2016, which shows us how important the tourism industry is in strengthening the ties between ASEAN and Korea,” ASEAN-Korea Centre Secretary General Kim Young-sun said.
“The ASEAN-Korea Center has implemented its culture and tourism programs in line with the tourism visions of ASEAN — such as sustainable development and ecotourism — while further enhancing its role as a key channel for tourism cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between the two regions.”
ASEAN’s “Visit ASEAN@50 Golden Celebration 2017” campaign has begun, featuring 50 cross-border travel experiences in the region.
According to the organization, plans to mark the occasion include the designation of May as the “Month of ASEAN” and a series of commemorative events such as the “International Conference on the ASEAN-Korea Partnership.” In June, the “ASEAN Culinary Festival” will be held, while the Korea World Travel Fair will feature the ASEAN tourism promotional pavilion.
The center also said it will work to raise awareness of the travel campaign during the year.
Last month, the organization had a collaborative project with the Indonesia Investment Promotion Center (BKPM) in smart-city development. The “Seminar for Investment Promotion on Smart City” invited Korean experts to Jakarta to explore investment opportunities in smart city-related projects and share their expertise.
“The fastest-growing cities in Indonesia are feeling the strain of rapid population growth, which had led to traffic congestion, pollution and other urban issues," ASEAN-Korea Centre Secretary General Kim Young-sun said. "In particular, there is a growing need in the fastest-growing ‘middleweight’ cities of the nation for urban development in a more effective and sustainable way.”
Officials from the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement and the provincial governments of East Java, Surabaya and Malang discussed smart city-related projects, followed by one-on-one business meetings with government officials and private partners from the infrastructure and ICT sectors.
“The city government has put special emphasis on smart-city development, and the government delegation of the city visited Sejong City of Korea for a benchmark of U-CITY, or Ubiquitous City, in 2015,” an organization spokesperson said.
The organization also introduced the food and culinary culture of the region at COEX in Seoul last year, at the “ASEAN Fair: Touch & Taste ASEAN.” It featured 100 companies, 70 delegations and performers from 10 ASEAN member states. A wide range of products — including packaged and processed foods and beverages — was promoted, followed by business-matching meetings between exhibitors and Korean buyers.
The ASEAN-Korea Centre is an intergovernmental organization established in 2009 to promote exchanges between Korea and the 10 ASEAN member states.