On October 17 to 18, the 4th China-Japan-Korea Ministerial Conference on Tourism was held in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture and Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Shao Qiwei, Chairman of China National Tourism Administration, Seiji Maehara, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan, Yo In-Chon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of South Korea as well as more than 400 delegates of the tourism sector and industry from China, Japan and Korea were present at the Conference. 

On the evening of October 17, the Welcome Party and Opening Ceremony of the China-Japan-Korea Ministerial Conference on Tourism was held in Nagoya, Japan.  The Ministers made their entrance by driving Toyota environment protecting electronic motors introduced on the Expo Aichi to awake the awareness to energy conservation and environmental protection.

On the morning of October 18, the China-Japan-Korea Formal Ministerial Meeting on Tourism was held in Nagoya. Shao Qiwei addressed the Meeting that 2009 is a milestone of the tourism cooperation among China, Japan and Korea. In 2007, the scale of exchange visit tourists reached 15.61 million person-time among the three countries, and affected by financial crisis, 14.34 million person-time in 2008. However, at present, the decrease has ceased and a recovery is steadily on its way. We are still making great effort to realize the target of “the scale of exchange visit tourists reaching 17 million person-time among the three countries by 2010” put forward at the 1st China-Japan-Korea Ministerial Conference on Tourism.

The Ministers also discussed topics including overcoming difficulties such as international financial crisis and the A H1NI to recover international tourism, ushering in a new era of tourism exchange in East Asia, coping with global warming and the next conference. The Joint Statement of the 4th China-Japan-Korea Ministerial Conference on Tourism was released, under which a number of consensuses are reached.  

Another news: On the morning of October 18, the China-Japan-Korea Non-governmental Tourism Forum was held in Nagoya. Tourism delegates from China, Japan and Korea discussed topics including joint tourism promotion activities and establishment of a tourism crisis management system.