Jack Chen, special assistant to Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), secretary-general and chairman of Thailand Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Association, and Wu Ming, chairman of China Region of Children International Summer Village under UNESCO, made an inspection tour to Qingyuan city in November. They were accompanied by Zhang Yongliang, director of China Cross-Straits Youth Culture and Education Exchange Center. The visit was made to prepare for the Qingyuan tourism summit forum for ASEAN countries next year.
ASEAN is said to have invested and constructed the Southeast Asia Folk village and ASEAN International Tourism Festival headquarters in Qingyuan. It has also decided to establish the Children International Summer Village (CISV) in Qingyuan, a platform of international cultural exchange for south China children. This will help Qingyuan march closer toward becoming an international tourism city. In the future, teenagers of 67 member countries of CISV will visit, learn and exchange in Qingyuan each year. The mechanism will help more foreign friends get to know Qingyuan better.