By Ricky Fernandez
JOHOR BAHRU, Malaysia – The annual ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2025 was held from 15-20 January in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, with over 1,000 delegates from around the world.
The theme of the conference was: “Unity in Motion: Shaping ASEAN’s Tourism Tomorrow,”. “This theme reflects our collective commitment to fostering cooperation, innovation, and resilience in the face of challenges among ASEAN,” said Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia, Dato Sri Tiong King Sing.
Since 1981, the ATF has been promoting collaboration between Southeast Asia nations to increase tourist numbers across the board.
The forum explored “trends, challenges, and opportunities that will define the next decade of ASEAN tourism,” said Datuk Musa B. Yusof, Deputy Director General.
The wave of delegates included tourism ministers, government officials, travel agencies, private companies, potential buyers and media.
The Travex business-to-business platform which was a major part of the forum, connected 329 buyers from 41 countries and 221 sellers representing the ASEAN member states.
Around a hundred media representatives from across the globe were also funneled into the media briefings hosted by the National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) of the member states.
These media briefings provided the latest updates on trends and emerging destinations in Southeast Asia so that media can spread the word about the beauty of Southeast Asia and the optimism for better tourism outcomes in the ASEAN region during 2025.
Editor – More updates from the conference will be posted on this website.
