The ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) Forum and Exhibition on Tourism Investment and Co-operation will kick off in Yantai in East China's Shandong Province on October 19.

It will be the first big tourism promotional event in the history of the ASEM.

ASEM, which was initially proposed by Goh Chok Tong, former Singaporean Prime Minister, serves as a dialogue and co-operative mechanism between Asia and Europe.

So far, 25 European Union (EU) member states, the EU Commission, and 13 Asian countries are participants in the organization.

Leaders of the ASEM member states hold summit meetings every other year to address political, economic and cultural issues.

ASEM is playing an increasingly important role, particularly in global trade.

Statistics show that exports within the ASEM framework accounted for 61 per cent of the global total and imports took up 58 per cent.

The upcoming event of the ASEM Forum and Exhibition on Tourism Investment and Co-operation is aimed at promoting growth of trade and investment in the tourism sector and thus strengthening partnerships between Asian and European countries, said Li Shuqin, vice-mayor of Yantai.

The event will consist of a forum on tourism investment and co-operation, an exhibition, investment and trade talks, and cultural tourism promotional activities. About 1,500 exhibition booths will be at the exhibition.

Preparatory work

The municipal government attaches high importance to hosting the grand event.

Authorities have established an organization to take care of preparatory work for the ASEM Forum and Exhibition on Tourism Investment and Co-operation.

There are 10 sub-committees in the organization, covering media relations, trade and investment talks, forum preparation, environmental revamping, business visits, reception services, safety and guards, entertainment, health and quarantine, and exhibition facility construction.

An official website has been set up to offer instant information on the activities of the event.

Two press conferences were held in Beijing and Hong Kong respectively, to introduce the upcoming event.

Early this year, government officials paid promotional visits to key countries and regions, seeking to increase participation rates.

To date, 450 exhibition booths have been reserved and nearly 100 delegations from home and abroad have confirmed participation in the event, including tourism service providers, trade associations and governmental officials.

A tourism conference sponsored by the Organization for East Asian Economic Development will also be held in Yantai during the event.

Such big events are expected to bolster development of the local economy.

Organizers revealed that the Yantai municipal government is planning to offer a series of projects for investment, focusing on infrastructure facilities, multinational mergers, processing trade, going public abroad, and transferring equity of big companies.