AMN / NEWS DESK
The ASEAN-India Tourism Professionals Exchange Programme 2025 began in Guwahati with two days of intensive interactions between tourism professionals from India and ten ASEAN Member States. Organised by the Assam Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (ATDC) under the aegis of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, the exchange is being held from 12 to 17 December across Guwahati, Kaziranga and New Delhi. This effort builds on India’s participation at MATTA Fair 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, where ATDC showcased Assam and the North East as emerging destinations under the ASEAN-India Year of Tourism.
Forty-one delegates from ASEAN are attending – Cambodia (4), Indonesia (8), Lao PDR (4), Malaysia (4), Myanmar (4), Philippines (3), Singapore (3), Thailand (4), Timor Leste (2) and Vietnam (5) the event. On December 12, the visiting delegates arrived in Guwahati and boarded a sunset cruise on the Brahmaputra, which showcased Assam’s river-based tourism and community experiences along its banks. The Guwahati leg has set a constructive tone for the remaining sessions in Kaziranga and New Delhi, where policy consultations with the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of External Affairs, and ASEAN missions will build on the ideas generated in Assam.