During the ATF meeting, the ministers commended the success of the ASEAN Plus Three Youth Festival held in Singapore in July 2008 with the aim to encourage active youth participation in regional youth affairs and help young people appreciate the diverse cultures in the region. They appreciated Thailand’s hosting of the forthcoming ASEAN Youth Tourism Ambassador Project, to be held on January 15-24, 2009, the ASEAN Family Rally, to be held on March 1-3, 2009, and ASEAN Youth Football, to be held in June, 2009. They also looked forward to the ASEAN Plus Three Tourism Student Summit in Bali, Indonesia, also in June 2009.

The ministers were pleased to declare 2009/10 as the Youth Traveler’s Year within ASEAN. Building on the past youth related activities, ASEAN NTOs will work together with ASEANTA  and ACE Project to develop a tactical youth campaign under the Visit ASEAN Campaign. The ministers tasked the market task force to come up with a proposal for their consideration before the 14th ASEAN Summit.

Joachim Fischer, currently in Hanoi, Vietnam