Business brisk at Asean Tourism Forum, as Timor-Leste introduced as newest member

The tiny nation of Timor-Leste, an island in the Timor Sea near to the Indonesian archipelago, was introduced at the recent Asean Tourism Forum (ATF) after joining the Asean group of countries late in 2025.

Tourism leaders from 11 South East Asian countries recently assembled in the Philippines to meet international tourism buyers and boost the holiday industry in the region.

Government officials, DMOs and tourism product sellers from the Asean collective met in Mactan Island near the Filipino city of Cebu for the conference and travel trade marketplace, or Travex.

The alliance operates under the umbrella of Asean, or Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which is tasked with increasing international tourism to the region. The other 10 countries in the alliance, apart from Timor-Leste, are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Asean welcomed Timor-Leste at the end of October 2025. It is situated within the Coral Triangle, which is recognized as one of the world’s most biodiverse marine ecosystems. Timor-Leste, located north of Australia’s north-west coast, also offers a unique and authentic cultural experience that is largely undiscovered by international tourism. This combination of qualities led to Timor-Leste being named as a top tourism destination for 2026 by CNN.

“We’re not just another tropical destination,” said Antonio da Silva, the director general of tourism for Timor-Leste. “We’re offering visitors the chance to experience untouched nature, vibrant culture and authentic adventures in one of the world’s last undiscovered destinations.”

The heart of the ATF is the Travex, the annual travel trade show where leisure travel suppliers met with buyers from 50 countries around the world, including Canada. More than 260 of these buyers were hosted by the ATF organizers.

In total, over 700 travel sellers and tourism buyers met at the Travex and completed more than 9,500 one-to-one appointments during the ATF. This year’s ATF was the 45th anniversary of the event since its inauguration in Malaysia in 1981. The 2027 edition of the ATF will take place in Singapore, in accordance with the alphabetic assignment of the annual host nation.

In the photos 

FIRST

Canadian tourism product buyers on site at the 2026 ATF marketplace, including (l. to r.) Consuelo Miller of 360 Travel Experiences, Lisa Lau of Okushu Tours, Bernard Baele of Club Adventure Travel, Pierre Couture of Pathways of the World, and Brian Aneuta of Celebritours.

SECOND

A traditional welcome to the Megaworld Mactan Expo for the ATF.

THIRD 

Philippines secretary of tourism Christina Garcia Frasco meets members of the international media at ATF.

FOURTH

The waterfront of Mactan Island, location of the 2026 Asean Tourism Forum.