Last week, the Asian Development Bank met in Fiji for its annual meeting. This past Saturday, ADB President Mr. Takehiro Nakao convened the “Governors’ Seminar,” which was titled “The Role of Tourism for Sustainable Development.” The Panelists featured Japan Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Mr. Taro Aso; Indonesia Finance Minister Ms. Sri Mulyani Indrawati; Fiji Attorney-General and Minister for Economy, Civil Service, and Communications Mr. Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum; and Italy’s Director-General for International Financial Relations, Ministry of Economy and Finance Ms. Gelsomina Vigliotti. A summary of the Seminar is presented on the ADB website at: https://www.adb.org/news/leaders-discuss-role-tourism-asia-and-pacifics-development-future

As background preparation for the seminar, Dr. Donghyun Park (ADB Principal Economist), Cynthia Castillejos Petalcorin (ADB Senior Economics Officer), and I researched and analyzed sustainable tourism trends and developments, particularly in Asia. ADB’s Blog presents a synopsis of our research at: