THE Myanmar Convention Centre in Mayangone township has been chosen as the venue for the first ASEAN Tourism Forum to be hosted by Myanmar, the Deputy Minister of Hotels and Tourism, Brigadier-General Aye Myint Kyu, said last week.

He said the decision had followed a lengthy process to choose the venue for the event next year, to be held from January 13 to 21.

“The location is the best among those we considered and is also the best from the security point of view,” Brigadier-General Aye Myint Kyu said.

He said the ministry had held talks with the Yangon City Development Committee about renovations to expand the display space at the centre so it can accommodate the number of booths needed for the forum.

ATF 2006 is expected to feature about 450 booths, but the centre can accommodate up to 170 booths.

The renovations to the centre will be carried out jointly by the ministry and the YCDC. The work is due to begin no later than August and be completed by December.

Brigadier-General Aye Myint Kyu said the ministry was working hard on preparations for the forum to ensure it meets international standards.
He said the event would provide valuable opportunities to promote the country’s tourism industry.

“It is the best scenario for Myanmar tourism. Buyers and media from all over the world will see how attractive Myanmar is as a tourist destination,” Brigadier-General Aye Myint Kyu said.

Meanwhile, the official website for the forum, www.atf2006.com, has been attracting an average of 38 visitors a day since it was launched on May 30 by the WWW Media Company, said its managing director, U Aye Min Oo.

“It’s been attracting visitors from throughout the world; our record so far is more than 100 visitors a day,” said U Aye Min Oo.

The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism appointed the company on April 27 to develop the website.

Buyers, sellers and media visitors can use the website to register for the forum.

U Aye Min Oo said the website also provides opportunities for buyers and sellers to contact each other for business matching purposes.
The site also provides links to the www.asean-tourism.com and www. myanmar-tourism.com websites.

The official organizer of the forum, Singapore’s Navitas Management Pte., Ltd., will begin its promotional campaign for the event next month.

U Aye Min Oo said more than 70 sellers, about 50 buyers and 20 media representatives had registered for the forum through Navitas Management or on the website up until June 22.

“It is a good start to have so many registrations before the promotional campaign has been launched,” he said.