TPO's Malaysia Youth Tourism Program a Success... First Regional Meeting Held in Small Indonesian City

25 Youth Selected from 9 Countries
Achievements in Cultivating Tourism Professionals and Strengthening Networks

The Tourism Promotion Organization for Asia Pacific Cities (TPO), chaired by the city of Busan, successfully concluded the "Malaysia Culture and Language Immersion Program (M-CLIP)" for youth, which was held in Malaysia on August 1.

TPO is holding the Indonesia regional meeting and taking a commemorative photo. Photo by TPO

Since 2009, TPO has operated the CLIP (Culture & Language Immersion Program), a program designed to cultivate the next generation of tourism professionals by allowing participants to experience the cultural and tourism resources of member cities and engage in discussions and educational activities.

This year, the M-CLIP was held in Malaysia for the first time. Out of young applicants from 39 cities across 9 countries, 25 were finally selected. The number of applicants increased by 75% compared to the previous year, demonstrating heightened international interest.

Participants received full support for local living expenses from the host city, excluding airfare, and took part in opening and closing ceremonies, tourism and language education, local cultural experiences, and practical tourism marketing projects. Graduates of the program are expected to participate in future TPO events and serve as tourism promotion supporters.

During the same period, TPO also held a regional meeting in Batu, Indonesia. It was the first time the meeting, which had previously centered on major cities such as Jakarta, was held in Batu, a small city in eastern Java, marking the beginning of a shift toward decentralized regional meetings.

Representatives from key Indonesian member cities such as Batu, Jakarta, and Yogyakarta, as well as tourism industry stakeholders, attended the meeting to discuss strategies for strengthening local tourism capabilities through eco-friendly innovation, cultural resilience, and digital transformation.

Leaders from Penglipuran Village in Bali and associate professors from Brawijaya University gave presentations on community-based tourism and digital transformation case studies. TPO also promoted the "Global City Tourism Summit" to be held in Busan in October, attracting significant interest from attendees.

Kang Daeun, Secretary-General of TPO, stated, "The first M-CLIP in Malaysia and the inaugural meeting in eastern Indonesia demonstrate TPO's leadership in fostering regional tourism cooperation." She added, "The overseas expansion of tourism talent development programs and the hosting of meetings outside major metropolitan areas signify the growth of our network."

TPO is currently the only international organization in Korea specializing in urban tourism, with participation from 131 cities and 56 institutions worldwide. In September this year, TPO will hold its 12th General Assembly in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and in October, it plans to operate the "K-CLIP" program for foreign youth in four Korean cities (Busan, Andong, Mungyeong, and Daegu).

The city of Busan, together with TPO and the Busan Tourism Organization, plans to jointly host the "Global City Tourism Summit" to lead global tourism cooperation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.