3,000 int’l delegates to kick off 9-day ATF ’06 in Davao today

Some 3,000 delegates from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the rest of the world will kick off the 9-day ASEAN Tourism Forum in Davao City today.

The delegates include officials of ASEAN governments, ASEAN exhibitors of tourism products and destinations, foreign buyers of travel packages, international media, and officers and members of national tourism organizations (NTOs), ASEAN Airlines Association (AAA), ASEAN Hotel & Restaurant Association (AHRA), Federation of ASEAN Travel Association (FATA), and various other sectors of the global tourism industry.

The event starts this morning with a meeting of the ASEAN Special Working Group on tourism integration. This will be capped by a dinner at the Waterfront Insular Hotel hosted by Region XI executives of national agencies for the ASEAN Tourism Task Force delegates.

Tomorrow will be a day-long meeting of the ASEAN NTOs at the Pearl Farm Beach Resort, with dinner hosted by the Garden City of Samal. The meeting will continue up to Sunday noon, followed by a city tour from 12:30 to 5 p.m.

At the same time, a meeting of the NTOs of ASEAN, China, Japan and Korea (NTOs + 3) will be held in the same venue from 1 to 3 p.m., followed by a meeting of ASEAN and India NTOs from 3 to 5 p.m. and a dinner hosted by the provincial government of Davao del Norte from 6 to 9:30 p.m.

On Monday, Jan. 16, the ASEANTA, AHRA, and FATA will have their respective annual board and general meetings at the Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao.

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. of the same day will be the staging of the ATF’s 5-day tourism expo dubbed Travel Exchange (Travex) at the Level 3 of the NCCC Exhibition Centre, from 1 to 5 p.m. the meeting of the ASEAN Tourism Ministers, and from 5 to 10:30 p.m. a dinner hosted by Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte for the ministers and NTOs and ASEANTA delegates.

On Tuesday, there will be Fun in Paradise games at the Paradise Island Resort and a TTG Asia-sponsored golf game at the Apo Golf & Country Club from 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon. There will also be a meeting of the ASEAN Tourism Ministers + 3 at the Pearl Farm Beach Resort from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, lunch hosted by CNN from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., and a meeting of ASEAN and India Tourism Ministers from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

The press conference of the ASEAN Tourism Ministers + 3 will be held at the Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. of the same day, while the formal opening ceremony of the ATF 2006 will be staged at the Central Bank from 7:30 to 10 p.m.

Scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 18, are the countryside tour from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., ASEAN Tourism Conference (ATC) at the Apo View Hotel Grand Ballroom from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, lunch hosted by Mindanao Economic Development Council (Medco) at the Buffet Palace Restaurant for hosted foreign media and buyers from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., Travex briefing at the NCCC Exhibition Centre Cinema 1 from 2 to 2:30 p.m., CNN-sponsored golf game at Palos Verdes for tourism ministers from 2 to 6:30 p.m., media briefing by ASEAN NTOs at the NCCC Exhibition Centre Cinema 1 from 2 to 5 p.m., on-site appointment sessions between sellers and buyers at the NCCC Exhibition Centre Ground Level from 3 to 4 p.m. and at the Level 4 from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m. A cabaret and casino night will be hosted by Travel Weekly from 10 p.m. to 12 midnight at the Casino Filipino Grand Regal Hotel.

For Jan. 19 are island-hopping tour from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Travex Appointment Session 1 at NCCC Exhibition Centre Level 4 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, ASEAN NTOs’ media briefing at the NCCC Exhibition Centre Cinema 1 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., lunch hosted by the Socsargen local governments from 12 noon to 2 p.m., Travex Appointment Session II at the NCCC Exhibition Centre Level 4 from 2:15 to 6 p.m., dinner hosted by the Singapore Tourism Board at the Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., and Dance Fever co-hosted by The Marco Polo Hotel Davao and TTG Asia at the Marco Polo Hotel Davao Ballroom from 10 p.m. to 12 midnight.

Scheduled on Jan. 20 are ASEAN NTOs’ media briefing and Travex appointment sessions at the NCCC Exhibition Centre, lunch hosted by the local government of Mati, Davao Oriental, and the closing ceremony at The Venue.

The post-ATF tours for foreign buyers and media begin on Jan. 21.

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