The 3-day seminar was part of the OECD's ASEAN Integration Initiative and focused primarily on the following topic:

• Policy and governance,
• Investment promotion,
• Responsible corporate action,
• Investments in infrastructure, and
• Green investments.

In the workshop "Responsible Business Conduct" Kai Partale spoke about the challenges of an economically sensible and at the same time responsible investment culture in tourism. The theory of sustainable tourism development is already widely accepted in Southeast Asia, but practical implementation is still in its infancy in many places.

As a consultant in the EU programme Environmentally & Socially Responsible Tourism, Kai Partale is currently working on instruments and services to promote sustainable tourism in Vietnam.

Using Vietnam as an example, he illustrated how strongly the successful implementation of sustainable tourism depends on the consideration of the national framework conditions. He highlighted the specific obstacles and success factors and pointed out the role played by the public and private sectors. Initial success stories showed that responsible action in tourism makes good economic sense. This is an important foundation for attracting investors for sustainable tourism projects in the future.

Further information: www.oecd.org/daf/inv/investment-policy/oecd-asean-clmv-training.htm