Driving sustainable tourism in Asia-Pacific
This week I will attend the 10th APEC Tourism Ministers’ Meeting in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. At this meeting, I will discuss with APEC counterparts how we can work together to advance sustainable tourism in the Asia-Pacific region.
Tourism is a major driver of jobs, trade and investment opportunities and economic development. A vibrant tourism sector is vital to the prosperity of our region, contributing 3 per cent of the combined GDP of APEC economies. The World Travel and Tourism Council has forecast that by 2027, tourism in the region would be worth over USD 2.6 trillion.
The APEC economies are also a significant source of tourists for Australia, comprising around 70 per cent (6.5 million) of our short-term visitors. In addition to the economic returns generated, tourism plays a key role in strengthening people-to-people links with our region. The benefits of this cannot be underestimated.
The APEC Tourism Ministers’ Meeting will focus on the use of transformative technologies to promote sustainable tourism growth, and on the economic significance of tourism for regional cooperation, trade, job creation and innovation.
The meeting also provides a platform to promote Australia’s tourism sector and advance our tourism priorities to compete effectively in the global economy into the future.
I look forward to meeting my APEC tourism counterparts in Port Moresby and to promoting Australia's ambitious agenda for the tourism industry.
Media enquiries
- Minister Coulton’s office: Steph Nicholls +61 417 314 920
- DFAT Media Liaison: (02) 6261 1555