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 Program.

ATF aims to promoting ASEAN as a single destination and hosting of the event is rotated among the member countries each year.

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 & Tourism of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.

Accor, the world’s leading hotel operator and market leader in Europe and Asia Pacific, which is participating in ATF 2015 as a TRAVEX seller, is optimistic about Myanmar’s tourism future.

“Myanmar is a promising market and a new frontier for us in Asia. We have one hotel open in Myanmar – MGallery The Lake Garden Nay Pyi Taw, and a Novotel resort in Inle Lake scheduled to open by October 2014, followed by a Novotel hotel in Yangon,” said Mr Philippe Battle, Accor’s Area General Manager for Myanmar.

“Next year’s ATF in Myanmar will help showcase the country’s potential and we are confident that we will see a rapid growth in bookings in the years to come.”

In addition, CNN has confirmed their support for ATF 2015 as its Official Broadcast Media and will jointly promote the event with the organizer. CNN will also host a luncheon for the tourism ministers and heads of National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) of ASEAN and other Asian countries during ATF 2015.

ATF 2015, www.atf-2015.com