From 19 to 20 October 2022, the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) and the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism of Myanmar (MOHT) co-organised the Chinese language training and capacity building workshop for tourism practitioners of ASEAN (Myanmar). H.E. Mr. Shi Zhongjun, Secretary-General of ACC, H.E. Dr. Htay Aung, Union Minister of MOHT, and Charge d’affaires a.i of the Embassy of Myanmar in China attended the opening session. About 300 people including representatives from MOHT, Myanmar provincial tourism departments and tourism industry associations, Myanmar tour guides, and hotel service staff participated in relevant activities online. Ms. Li Yaying, Deputy Director of Education, Culture and Tourism Division of ACC presided over the opening session.  

In his speech, Mr. Shi Zhongjun addressed that tourism cooperation represents a significant component of the Myanmar-China relationship. Before the pandemic, bilateral tourism cooperation was booming as each other’s important tourist destinations and source markets. Two-way visits have not only advanced economic growth and created job opportunities, but also enhanced mutual understanding between the two peoples to consolidate the social foundation of bilateral relationship. It is hoped that the workshop would help Myanmar tourism practitioners improve their business capabilities and contribute to the resilient recovery and sustainable development of Myanmar’s tourism industry.

Dr. Htay Aung appreciated ACC for organising the workshop and expressed the willingness to work closely with ACC in the field of tourism in the future. He said that tourism industry has been severely affected by the pandemic and tourism human resources building is crucial to the recovery of the industry. He wished that the participants from the hotel and tourism industry in Myanmar would study hard, improve their Chinese language communication and professional skills, and make a good preparation for the growth of tourists visiting Myanmar after the pandemic.

Chinese language training and capacity building for tourism practitioners of ASEAN is one of the major flagship projects of ACC and its implementation has played a positive role in tourism human resource cooperation between AMS and China during the pandemic. Besides classic courses featuring tour guide service and traditional Chinese culture, the workshop also covers tourism distribution channel analysis and tourism business standardisation in line with the needs of the Myanmar side, which are well welcomed by Myanmar participants.