HANOI, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The 22nd Meeting of ASEAN Tourism Ministers kicked off on Thursday in Vietnam's northern Quang Ninh province, discussing reports by national tourism organizations (NTOs) of ASEAN state members and regional tourism issues.

The ministers touched upon policy frameworks and directions for developing tourism in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The strategic directions included ensuring that ASEAN tourism is sustainable and inclusive, and sharpening competitive edges of ASEAN as a single tourism destination.

Addressing the meeting as part of the ongoing 38th ASEAN Tourism Forum in Quang Ninh's Ha Long city, Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien called for NTOs to foster cooperation to promote the sustainable development of tourism in ASEAN, and strengthen coordination to improve service quality and further facilitate travel.

NTOs will keep on serving as the executing body to carry out the 2016-2025 ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan via four committees on sustainable and inclusive tourism development, tourism competitiveness, tourism resourcing and monitoring and evaluation, and tourism professional monitoring.

In 2018, the number of international tourists to ASEAN rose 10 percent, compared with 8 percent in the Asia-Pacific region and 7 percent in the world, he said, adding that tourism contributed 12.4 percent to the regional gross domestic product (GDP). Many experts forecast that the GDP contribution of ASEAN tourism would surge to 15 percent by 2025.