The Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents (MATTA) in collaboration with the Malaysian Government and the State Government of Terengganu invite you to join us in Merang, Terengganu for the 5th Asia Pacific Ecotourism Conference. The Conference will take place from 27th to 28th October 2007 and the event is a prelude to Visit Terengganu Year 2008.

Themed Marine Ecotourism: Emerging Best Sustainable Practices and Success Stories, the Conference will address these challenging issues and learn how to manage marine ecotourism through sustainable practices particularly in the Asia Pacific region.

The selection of Setiu as the venue for an international ecotourism conference is most appropriate. The Setiu river systems support a diverse array of marine and terrestrial habitats. The estuary, a 22-km long lagoon, also known as the Setiu Lagoon is a very prominent feature on the coast of Terengganu. The mangrove vegetation that fringes the coastal area plays a vital role in providing nursery and feeding grounds for commercially important fish and prawn.  It also a major landing ground for endangered species such as hawksbill turtle, painted terrapin (Tuntong) and estuary crocodile.

The Asia Pacific region comprises of 55 countries and territories with total population of 3.2 billion people. Both the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean carries about 55000 islands and hundreds of thousands kilometres of beautiful coastal shores which attracts holidaymakers from all over the world. This makes the Asia Pacific region an important area for marine ecotourism discussions. Some of the islands are heavily populated tourist resorts while some are pristine eco-islands occupied by indigenous communities; and yet many are still uninhabited. Besides mineral and fishing resources, many of the islands are heavily dependent on tourism, more particularly sustainable ecotourism. While some countries have sustainable practices in place, others are still struggling with challenges in legislative policies, public awareness, capacity building, economic constraints, enforcement, public funding and other peculiar challenges endemic to the destination.

With the continuing growth of mass tourism in the Asia Pacific region generating economic wealth to a developing region, the stark reality is that it is at the expense of the destination's rich social, cultural and natural assets. There is a need to consider new and emerging sustainable approaches to balance between the negative impacts of tourism and the environment, local communities, tourists and the tourism trade.

This Conference calls upon Governments, industry leaders, academia and NGOs in their field of expertise to meet, discuss, network and most importantly, "walk the talk" in policies, plans, strategies and solutions to deliver a common consensus for sustainable tourism in our seas and rivers.

This Conference will attempt to address the following:-

This conference aims to uncover the ingredients of success from experts and ecotourism gurus, learning from projects, destinations and organizations which have been conspicuously successful in marine ecotourism planning, development and marketing.

Objectives

Speakers

This Conference will bring together a wide range of reputed world leaders in tourism, high-level policy makers, specialists and experts from both the public and private sectors, to exchange experiences, put forward valuable ideas and provide guidance for future tourism development.

Each of the sessions will be followed by a panel discussion in which the ideas presented will be analysed and practical recommendations for action by other destinations will be developed.

By sharing the experience of successful destinations and organizations in the Indian, Pacific and the Atlantic oceans, the Conference will help countries in the Asia Pacific  region spread the benefits of ecotourism to coastal areas and small islands, thereby making an important contribution to one of the elements of ecotourism – economic benefits to the local communities.

Participants

The three-day conference will bring together hundreds of ecotourism experts, government officials, and travel/hospitality industry practitioners involved in or working towards responsible tourism.

At the end of the Conference, participants comprising of tourism operators,  nature based and ecotourism operators, State and Regional Tourism organisations, National Parks, Marine Parks and Protected Area Managers, Government Agencies, Nature Researchers & Consultants, Guides, Students and Individuals will gain advanced knowledge, as well as practical tools, resources, and contacts, that they can use to lead their respective industries.

Technical Tours

This year’s Conference program will showcase Terengganu's unique ecotourism sites and cultural assets, and delegates will have the choice of 2 amazing technical tours ie the Setiu Wetland Tour and the Marang River Safari.  There are also optional tours to visit the many rivers, lakes and islands in and around Terengganu.

Having staged a very successful APECO2006 (www.apeco2006.com) last year in Taman Negara National Park, we look forward to welcoming you to Terengganu, Malaysia this for another important and relevant Conference to the Asia Pacific region. Don’t miss it!