UN Tourism Regional Support Office for Asia and the Pacific (RSOAP) had collaborated with UNDP Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei, and the Government of Malaysia on seminars held at the Malaysia Pavilion at the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, aimed at further promoting sustainable tourism in Malaysia. The delegations from the UNDP and the Government of Malaysia also traveled to Gifu Prefecture—the only Japanese member of the UN Tourism International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO).
Seminars at the Malaysia Pavilion at Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai (April 24)
The seminars focused on the theme of “Sustainable Tourism: Building a Productive Future” and “Investing in Malaysia’s Sustainable Tourism: Opportunities and Impacts. Mr. Rohizam Md Yusoff, Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC), Ms. Norhafiza Shafie from UNDP Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei, and Ms. Chiaki Oya from UN Tourism RSOAP took the stage to exchange opinions.
During the discussion, MPC presented the slogan “CHECK” (Culture, Heritage, Environment, Community, Knowledge), which was developed to communicate the SDGs concisely to stakeholders. They also introduced leading practices in sustainable tourism in Malaysia. The UNDP highlighted Malaysia’s strengths as a destination for sustainable tourism investment, outlining key growth areas such as eco-tourism, cultural tourism, and green infrastructure, along with relevant investment opportunities. Additionally, they presented community-level projects led by the UNDP. RSOAP introduced INSTO as an example of initiatives led by UN Tourism, which helps to promote sustainable tourism, and expressed hopes that Malaysia to join the network in near future. RSOAP also highlighted a range of tools offered by UN Tourism, including the “Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through Tourism – Toolkit of Indicators for Projects (TIPs)” jointly developed by UN Tourism and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Visit in Gifu prefecture (April 23rd)
The Malaysian delegation visited the Gifu Prefectural Government, where they briefed an overview of tourism in Gifu, the process that led to join INSTO network, the indicators established, and methods used to monitor sustainability in tourism. During the discussion, there was an active exchange of ideas, with the Malaysian delegation seeking advice on key considerations for joining INSTO. Following the discussion, the delegation visited the Nagaragawa Ukai Museum and explored the surrounding Kawara-machi district.
The delegations showed great interest in the connection between community cultural assets and sustainable tourism, learning about the over 1,300-year-old tradition of cormorant fishing at the museum, as well as traditional crafts such as Mino washi paper and Gifu lanterns.
【About UN Tourism International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO)】
