MACAO, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The 13th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Tourism Ministerial Meeting convened on Saturday in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), with delegates exploring ways to harness digital innovation and deeper collaboration to boost the region's tourism sector.

Under the theme of "Digital Innovation, Collaborative Empowerment: Leveraging Tourism for an Asia-Pacific Community," heads of tourism authorities from 21 APEC economies gathered to exchange views on the role of digital and smart technologies in driving tourism and propelling socioeconomic growth. They also identified priority areas for deploying digital innovation across the sector.

The tourism sector stands as a key engine of regional economic growth, delegates said, adding that it has been underpinned by strong fundamentals, untapped potential and promising long-term prospects.

Highlighting that the tourism ministerial meeting is a key component of the APEC "China Year," delegates said the gathering will mark a new starting point to deepen tourism cooperation among member economies.

As part of the ministerial meeting, the 67th APEC Tourism Working Group Meeting was held from Wednesday to Thursday in the Macao SAR.

China, as the host of the 2026 APEC, will hold the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, in November. Approximately 300 APEC-related meetings and events will take place in multiple Chinese cities throughout the year. ■