Kota Kinabalu, 21st October 2014. A group of Asian ecotourism leaders gathered to kick off the Asian Ecotourism Network (Ecotourism Asia) in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia in conjunction with the 8th Asia Pacific Ecotourism Conference.

At the founding board meeting, the members unanimously agreed to establish the Network sometime mid-2015 housed within a public organization DASTA (Designated Area for Sustainable Tourism Administration) situated in Bangkok, Thailand.

According to the founding board chair, Masaru Takayama, executive director of Japan Ecolodge Association, the Network will supply more hands-on connections and relevant opportunities for members at a regional level.

This ultimately will provide more networking and business opportunities, significant information, educational materials and networking prospects to both small and large organizations within Asia. The founding member countries comprise Japan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, China, South Korea, Mongolia, India, Laos, Pakistan, Bhutan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Philippines.

For more information, join their Facebook page of Asian Ecotourism Network (Ecotourism Asia) where the latest updates are shared among members until the official launch in 2015.