ATF 2021 was expected to draw some 2,000 participants from more than 25 countries.
The next ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF), originally scheduled for 17 to 23
January 2021 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, will be postponed until 2022. To
date, there has been no official news on the event’s status and
especially TRAVEX — the main component from 19 to 21 January — less than
three months away.
The Cambodian Ministry of Tourism is working with MP International,
the PCO handling the event, to issue an official announcement on the
postponement.
Responding to a query from M&C Asia, Thong Rathasak,
director general, tourism development and international cooperation,
said that due to the unprecedented Covid‐19 pandemic, the organisers
have “faced a lot of changes and challenges”.
He confirmed however, that Cambodia will still host the next ATF,
although Indonesia would have been next in line for the tourism trade
show, which brings together meetings of government ministries/agencies
and trade associations of the 10‐country bloc.
ATF 2021 was expected to draw some 2,000 participants from more than
25 countries. However, the prolonged pandemic, international travel
restrictions and limited airline operations in the region and long haul,
stymied the mega‐event.
Besides new dates, it also isn’t known yet whether the 2021 theme of
“ASEAN – A Community of Peace and Shared Future” will be retained, and
if Chroy Changvar International Exhibition Hall, currently under
construction, will still be the venue.