The 11^th GTI Tourism Board Meeting was held in Vladivostok on 17^th May 2018, back-to-back with the 4^th Pacific Tourism Forum and XXII Pacific International Tourism Exhibition.

The Members of the GTI Tourism Board discussed the progress of GTI tourism cooperation since the 10^th TB meeting (August 2017, Republic of Korea), elaborated on the projects for the implementation under GTI, and approved the working plan for 2018-2019. The meeting concentrated in particular on the following projects: Joint exposition of GTI Member Countries at the Pacific International Tourism Exhibition, Training on tourism marketing and promotion of tourism destinations, UNWTO’s workshop for tour operators “Introduction to Silk Road Programme Preparing for Attendance at ITB Berlin” and Establishment of a web based platform for the information exchange and promotion of tourism products and tourism destinations in the region.

The training and workshop are to be held as side events of the 7^th GTI NEA Tourism Forum on 3-4 August 2018 in Hunchun. The GTI Secretariat extended the invitation to the tourism board members and asked for facilitation in inviting other tourism stakeholders to attend both meetings.

The Tourism Board members also agreed to develop a platform to promote tourism in the Greater Tumen Region and will further discuss the details. Followed by the respective proposal developed for the GTI region by the Chameleon Strategies Think Tank (the company which designed the Mekong Moments platform for the Greater Mekong region), the Russian side presented their alternative offer, which could be realized by the Tourism Information Center of Primorsky Territory.

During the meeting the Russian delegation in particular emphasized the need and potential for the increase of tourist flow from Mongolia to Primorsky Territory. According to the Russian side, organization of familiarization (FAM) tours for Mongolian tour companies to Primorsky Territory could be a good way to establish business ties between the two countries and raise awareness about the services which could be offered to the tourists traveling to the Primorsky Territory in particular from Mongolia.

The board members came to a consensus that with coordination from the GTI Secretariat they should further cooperate in such fields as marketing and promotion of tourism products in the GTI region, raising the profile of GTI as a brand at the international platforms such as ITB Berlin.

Members of the GTI Tourism Board, representatives from Federal Agency for Tourism Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, Khasansky District Administration, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Tourism Information Center of Primorsky Territory, Tourism Development Commission of Jilin Province, Tourism and Service Industry Promotion Administration of Hunchun, Korea Tourism Organization and GTI Secretariat, attended the meeting.

The GTI Secretariat also took part in the 4^th Pacific Tourism Forum (18 May). This year the main theme of the event was the development of cruise tourism as one of the most promising directions of this industry in the Asia-Pacific region. The event was attended by experts from the Far Eastern and central Russian Territories, as well as representatives of the tourism industry of foreign countries. The director of the GTI Secretariat Mr. Tuguldur Baajiikhuu attended as a speaker of the Forum. Mr. B. Tuguldur introduced GTI’s vision and perspectives of the development of tourism in GTR, with specific emphasize on the promotion of MDT in the region.

The 12^th Tourism Board Meeting will be held in Mongolia in 2019.