- Expanding international tourism exchange of younger generations, especially educational exchanges including school trips and youth exchange programs, are of great benefit to increase mutual international understanding. These increase the number of international travelers, promote education for international understanding and enhance regional development through international exchange.
- From a tourism point of view, international youth exchange forms a supporting basis for nurturing middle and long-term mutual international tourism exchanges. Provided with opportunities to begin to learn about and deepen their understanding of foreign culture, customs and traditions, open-minded youth can truly become international citizens through such experience. Not only do they become potential repeat international travelers for leisure and business, but they also encourage friends and family members to frequently travel abroad.
- Within the framework of sister/friendship city arrangements, a variety of exchange programs have been taking place covering fields such as culture, sports and education. These programs play an important role in promoting exchanges at the grassroots level with the full participation of citizens. In addition, such programs provide all participants with opportunities to revitalize their local communities and rediscover their own values and identities.
The Tourism Working Group Meeting reconfirmed the importance of youth exchange and sister/friendship city exchange and held the view that tourism exchange in these fields should be further promoted.
The Meeting agreed that grassroots-level exchanges including youth exchange and sister/friendship city exchange will contribute substantially to the process of developing closer social and economic linkages, to the deepening of mutual understanding and friendly relations, and to expansion of mutual exchanges among the peoples within the APEC region in the future.
For further information contact: Christopher Hawkins on +61 433 810 844 or E-mail: ch@apec.org
Anita Douglas +65 9172 6427 or E-mail: ad@apec.org
