Workshop on Rural Tourism for Sustainable Development

Rural tourism has great potential in the Asia-Pacific region with its abundant natural and cultural resources. The APO has been supporting its members in promoting productive, sustainable, and inclusive rural tourism, as aligned with the APO Vision 2025 goal of inclusive productivity.

While the tourism sector has grown in the last decades, many rural communities are now facing challenges in repositioning tourism in the rapidly changing environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, digitalization, and growing awareness of the need to preserve the natural environment and promote equality among people. Successful development of rural tourism must achieve sustainability from the economic, social, and environmental aspects. In addition to financial gain, it must support rural communities to retain their unique natural and cultural heritages and strengthen bonds across gender, age, and occupations. It must also conserve natural resources including biodiversity.

This workshop will examine the holistic, comprehensive framework to develop sustainable rural tourism and discuss strategies and actions for promoting it across APO members.

For more details please click on PN.