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The tourism industry in Asia has entered a new era as countries and regions collectively develop the industry with complementary resources and markets, and environmental protection and cooperation, Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) spokesman Mabul Hossain said Sunday (Nov.17).

"Indeed in many Asian countries and regions, tourism has already become a booming industry and made positive contributions to overall economic and social development," he said at a press conference for the BFA Tourism Conference, in Guilin City of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Sun Gang, deputy director of the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), said in recent years, the administration had established cooperative relations with most Asian countries, which boosted international tourism in China.

Sun said China would promote the exchange and sharing of tourism information with other Asian countries, strengthen tourism personnel training, enhance mutual visits, and conduct in-depth research on regional tourism development.

BFA Executive Director Yao Wang said the Tourism Conference was BFA's first professional forum. He hoped the conference would prompt Asian tourism cooperation, and forge a stable mechanism for exchange and cooperation among Asian countries.

Pisan Manawanno, representative of the Thailand-based Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), said Asia should turn its rich diversity of nationalities to economic advantage, and the most direct way was to develop tourism. Thailand would endeavor to promote cooperation.

The three-day conference, scheduled to start on Monday, is co-hosted by the CNTA, the BFA and the ACD, and sponsored by the Guilin Municipal Government.