ASEAN Tourism, Defined…

Southeast Asia aims to weave a unified tourism branding strategy as Philippine Tourism hosts the 45th annual ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) January 28-30, 2026 on Cebu Island in the Philippines.

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So, what is ASEAN?

ASEAN (The Association of Southeast Asian Nations) is the 10 countries that make up Southeast Asia: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

And, what is the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF)?

This conference and travel trade show is all about Southeast Asia’s sustainable and interconnected tourism future. Since its inauguration in 1981, the annual ATF rotates alphabetically through its 10 member-countries with a total of 600 million people. The tourism fusion of Southeast Asia’s 10 countries and their amazingly varied cultures poses several challenges, one of which is its diversity. ASEAN members range from wealthy Singapore and Brunei to agrarian Laos and Cambodia. Politics also run the spectrum, from the democratic Philippines, which is largely Christian, to Indonesia, which encompasses the world’s largest Muslim population—and, for now, a difficult to access Myanmar. 

In 2025, ASEAN welcomed 145 million international arrivals—an increase from 2024 by 17-percent.

In terms of tourism, Southeast Asia holds vast potential as one sustainable community. The idea of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts is not lost on this region. ASEAN is an organization comparable to the European Union with its enduring effort to achieve regional solidarity. This forum is ultra-focused on how its member countries can work together to market themselves as one destination.

ASEAN cohesion emphasizes partnerships rather than competition. A single market free-trade agreement is another goal of the association. Until December 2008, the 45-year-old organization had no written constitution. The new charter set a goal for establishing economic integration via a 10-country free-trade zone and established commitments respecting human rights, democratic principles, and keeping the region free of nuclear weapons. Binding the 10 members to an enhanced legal framework, the regional charter sets out their shared aims and methods of working together.

In a phrase, the theme of ATF: Unity in Motion—Shaping ASEAN’s Tourism Tomorrow.

For more information visit ATFPhilippines.com.

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