Over 200 delegates from 27 member cities of the Tourism Promotion Organization for Asia-Pacific Cities gathered in Ho Chi Minh City on June 21 for the 8th forum on “Smart tourism”. The event focused on solutions to improve tourism development capacity of the Tourism Promotion Organization for Asia-Pacific Cities member cities. It also aims to help delegates develop initiatives and new strategies to promote the tourism sector’s development amidst the fourth industrial revolution. The number of foreign tourists visiting HCM City in recent years has accounted for 50 percent of those arriving in Vietnam, contributing 30 percent to the country’s tourism turnover and 10 percent of the city’s Gross Regional Domestic Product. Asia Pacific is considered a key market for the city’s tourism sector as the number of visitors from the region visiting HCM City always remains stable among the top markets. The forum is expected to help the Organization’s member cities access solutions to applying IT and communication in tourism activities – which is an inevitable trend in the era of digital technology. Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Department: "The forum is an opportunity for Ho Chi Minh City to get access to the world’s experience in organising smart tourism." Tran The Duy, Vietravel’s Deputy Director: "The concept of smart tourism has been around for a while. By applying technology to tourism, it has changed how travel activities are conducted." It is project to help member cities learn from experience of each other in building new orientations and models in tourism management well as in fine-tuning the quality of tourism services, thus improving their destinations’ competitiveness.-VNA