The theme of the 11th GTI NEA Tourism Forum was "Ecotourism and Sustainable Development: A Common Vision for Northeast Asia". The Forum was co-organized by Jilin Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and the GTI Secretariat. Government officials, experts, scholars, and tourism enterprises’ leaders from Northeast Asian countries participated in the forum to jointly explore the future development of the tourism industry in Northeast Asia, in particular with regard to ecotourism and sustainable development.

The Director of GTI Secretariat Mr. Lawrence Hoomyung Lee stated that ecotourism has a great potential for development in the region given the unique and diverse nature. By untapping the potential of ecotourism and sustainable development, the region will become more attractive for tourism while committing to preservation and sustainability of the environment. Development of ecotourism also goes in line with GTI’s Strategic Action Plan and should contribute to the protection of the region’s nature heritage.

During the forum, all parties consolidated their consensus on cooperation and achieved fruitful results, further strengthening the foundation for cross-border tourism cooperation, injecting new momentum into the high-quality development of ecotourism, and clarifying the path for collaborative progress.

On the sidelines of the Forum, a meeting between representatives of Jilin Province and GTI Secretariat was held. During the meeting the two sides exchanged views on strengthening international tourism cooperation in NEA.