The Ministry of Tourism, through the National Directorate for Tourism Enterprise, Activities and Products (NDTEAP), organized the General Assembly of the Association of Tourism Companies of Timor-Leste (AETL), at its premises in Dili.

According to the Minister of Tourism, Francisco Kalbuady Lay, “the Association was created to bring together entrepreneurs, to better develop tourism in the future, especially in the area of ​​ Hospitality.”

“Presently, the tourism sector is very important, and the whole world is competing by investing in this sector, and trying to increase revenues, outside the oil and gas sector,” added the Minister.

Timor-Leste is preparing itself to enter into an agreement with the ASEAN countries and the Government of Macau, which is scheduled for early November. The agreement aims at establishing cooperation, in order to attract tourists to Timor-Leste, thus contributing to the development of the tourist sector.

At the General Assembly, Fernando Lay was elected president of the AETL and pledged to cooperate with the entrepreneurs and the Ministry of Tourism to develop this sector in the future.