The Hon. Mr. Park Yang-woo, the Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Sports for the Republic of Korea delivered the opening welcome to the Asian Leadership Conference as part of the virtual AMFORHT summit, moderated by:
Philippe Francois (President of AMFORHT)
Young-Shim Dho (Chairperson SDGs Advocate Alumni, Former Chairperson of UNWTO’s ST-EP Foundation )
The agenda investigated Practical Solutions for Travel and Tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Hon. Minister told an impressive list of high-level tourism leaders from around the world:
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I am Park Yang-woo, Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Sports in South Korea. I would like to express my gratitude to the organizers for hosting this auspicious conference.
“With the projected COVID-19, the whole world now is suffering a lot; especially the contact person-to-person movement has been restricted, and that adds a severe blow to the tourism industry, and Korea is not an exception.
“Korea has been a model case for the virus containment and also the virus responses. However, we were not able to avoid the sufferings inflicted on the tourism industry. The whole world is now open to a new normal, and the UNWTO if you look at the Tbilisi declaration, really shows the future for the tourism industry and where it should be headed to.
“In order to have sustainable tourism, the technology must be kept active so we can adapt to the new realities, and we have to have strong support for the tourism industry. That was the core content of the declaration.
“Keeping abreast of this trend, our Ministry has actively adapted the new technologies, especially the adaption of the new technology and the digital technologists who will secure the safety of passengers and at the same time develop pleasures for the tourists to enjoy. By developing a lot of interesting content, the Ministry will continue to keep pace with the global changes so that the tourism industry can take leadership in the post-COVID world.
“Crisis can be turned into an opportunity for progress and innovation, and in a sense, I believe that the Asian Leadership Conference will also give us a guiding light for us to move.
“I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the executives of the AMFORHT, and your passionate discussion will give a new solution to the tourism industry. I sincerely wish you a big success. Thank you very much.”
Tags: virtual AMFORHT summit, South Korea
