This was jointly announced in Beijing Monday by the National Tourism Administration of China and the BFA Secretariat. The theme of the conference will be "Prospects for the Asian Tourism Sector and Measures to Promote Them," said Yao Wang, executive director of BFA Secretariat.

In line with the theme, the topics discussed will focus on the development of regional tourism and cooperation in the field, the development of tourist resources and sustainable development, tourism and poverty alleviation as well as tourism and employment, Yao said.

Well-known tourism experts and academics will be invited to speak and conduct training sessions at the conference, he said.

Being a booming industry in Asia, tourism plays an important role in the economic development of Asian countries, said Sun Gang, deputy director of the National Tourism Administration.

Tourism in Asia has entered a new era of competition and cooperation, he said, and issues like the exchange of resources, the sharing of customers, the protection of the environment and a cooperative approach are of common concern in this region, he said.

The conference aims to promote understanding, discussions and common development, and will be a bridge linking tourism sectors in Asian countries, he said.

Around 500 delegates, including senior Asian government officials, officials from international tourism organizations, mayors from well-known tourist cities throughout the world and renowned experts and business leaders in tourism sectors will attend the conference, according to the BFA.

The BFA, established in February 2001, is the first non-governmental and non-profitable international organization with its headquarters in China. It plans to host other forums with themes of agriculture, education, finance and energy in the future, according to its secretariat.

(Xinhua News Agency August 13, 2002)