Article 1. Organization Name and Establishment

The Organization established hereunder shall be named “Tourism Promotion Organization for Asia Pacific Cities”, hereafter referred to as the Organization. The Organization is an international organization established in 2002 by the 5th Asian-Pacific Cities Summit (APCS) held in Fukuoka, Japan.

※ “City” or “cities” means the government of any level as referred to in Article 5, Paragraph 1, and shall not be limited to city level members only.

Article 2. Objective

The Organization aims to build partnerships among cities and organizations in the Asia Pacific Region that encourage its members to work together in promoting tourism in the region.

Article 3. Language

The official working language of the Organization shall be English.

Article 4. Main Activities

In pursuit of the above objectives, the Organization shall conduct:

1. (1)Activities to facilitate the active exchange of information and opinions and cooperation among the members;
2. (2)Promoting and marketing activities of tourist destinations and the development of new tourism products;
3. (3)Activities to develop human resources in the tourism sector; and
4. (4)Such other activities to achieve or contribute to its objectives.

Article 5. Membership

1. 1.Membership in the Organization is open to all the central, sub-central or local level governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, educational and research institutes, media, businesses, and other entities directly or indirectly related to tourism within Asia and the Pacific region.
2. 2.Member categories for the Organization shall be comprised of the following: <Category 1: Governments>

   Governments at all levels that join the Organization, wishing to cooperate and exchange in the tourism sector with the members and tourism businesses in the Asia Pacific region.

   <Category 2: Non-Profit and Non-Government Organizations>
   1. (1)Association Member: Associations related to the tourism industry;
   2. (2)Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) Member: DMOs at all levels, including National Tourism Organizations (NTO), Regional Tourism Organization (RTO), and Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVB).
   3. (3)Research Member: Researchers or research bodies in the tourism industry.
   <Category 3: Businesses>
   1. (1)Business Member: Businesses and individual persons wishing to contribute to the growth of the tourism industry; and
   2. (2)Media Member: Newspapers, broadcasting companies, Internet newspapers, and other similar organizations.

Article 6. Admission

1. 1.Those wishing to apply for membership shall submit their completed application to the Secretary General.
2. 2.Upon receiving an application for membership as provided in the foregoing Paragraph, the Secretary General shall forward the application for membership to the Executive Committee.
3. 3.Each application for membership shall include an official letter written on official stationery bearing the letterhead and seal or signature of the representative of the applying entity.
4. 4.In principle, the membership application form shall be forwarded to the Executive Committee members at least 14 days before the Executive Committee meeting.
5. 5.A representative of an applicant may, with the consent of the Chair of the Executive Committee, be present at the meeting when the Executive Committee reviews its application for membership.
6. 6.The Executive Committee shall decide the approval or rejection of an applicant for the membership of the Organization, whose decision shall be final.
7. 7.Upon approval of the application by the Executive Committee, the applicant shall assume its obligation to pay the admission fee and annual membership fee to the Organization.
8. 8.A member who has not paid the annual member ship fee for a considerable period of time may lose the right to vote and to benefit from services as a member.
9. 9.Each member shall recognize and faithfully fulfil all obligations under these statutes for the promising evolution of the Organization.

Article 7. Termination of Membership

1. 1.The representative of the member that wishes to terminate its membership shall submit an official termination letter to the Secretary General.
2. 2.Termination of membership of the Organization will become effective on the 30th day after the said termination request is accepted by the Secretary General.

Article 8. Composition

The Organization shall be comprised of the following sub organizations:

1. (1)General Assembly
2. (2)Executive Committee
3. (2)Secretariat

Article 9. General Assembly

1. 1. The General Assembly shall consist of all members of the Organization and shall make decisions on the following matters:
   1. (1)The Organization’s principal policies;
   2. (2)Revision and repeal of these Statutes;
   3. (3)Election of the President and the Co-Presidents;
   4. (4)All other important matters regarding projects and operation of the organization.
2. 2.Meetings of the General Assembly shall be convened by the President and shall be chaired by the representative of the host. Notwithstanding, the plenary session of the General Assembly may be chaired by the President.
3. 3.All decisions by the General Assembly shall require approval by a majority of the government members present at the meeting.
4. 4. Notwithstanding the provision of Paragraph 2 of this Article, when the President considers it impossible to convene the General Assembly due to unavoidable circumstances, he or she can ask the members to vote in writing instead of holding the General Assembly. Any decision adopted by a majority vote through this voting process should be regarded as the same decision made at a convened meeting of the General Assembly. In that case, the President shall report the result of voting to the next General Assembly.
5. 5. The General Assembly shall be held every two years.
6. 6. Meetings of the General Assembly and the Executive Committee may be held by the President at the location of the President of the Organization, in the case where no member wishes to host the Meeting.

Article 10. Executive Committee

1. 1. The following members shall be the members of the Executive Committee:
   1. (1)President city and Co-President cities;
   2. (2)One city member for each participating country, and
   3. (3)Other members invited by the Executive Committee
2. 2.When a country has more than ten government members, the Executive Committee is able to appoint additional members of the country as members of the committee by common consent.
3. 3.The number of representatives of other members appointed as Executive Committee members shall not exceed the number of Executive Committee members who are representatives of government members.
4. 4.The Executive Committee shall make decisions on the following matters in terms of the operation of the Organization and the planning and implementation of its projects:
   1. (1)Approval on the budget plan of the Organization and the settlement of accounts;
   2. (2)Approval on the matters associated with the projects of the Organization;
   3. (3)Other matters associated with the projects and the operation of the Organization.
5. 5.The President city shall be the Chair of the Executive Committee.
6. 6.The Executive Committee shall meet at least twice a year. Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be convened and presided over by the Chair. Notwithstanding, by the request of the Secretary General under the unavoidable or urgent situations, the Executive Committee meeting may be convened in writing. Draft agenda of such meeting in writing shall be circulated to all the members of the Executive Committee well in advance. A decision in writing, executed by or on behalf of each Committee member, shall be regarded as the same decision made at a convened meeting of the Executive Committee.
7. 7.Each member of the Executive Committee shall serve a term of two years, and the term shall be renewable.
8. 8.All decisions by the Executive Committee should require approval by a majority of the members present at the meeting.
9. 9.The provisions of Paragraph 4 of Article 9 shall also apply to the Executive Committee Meeting.
10. 10.To ensure the efficient operation of the Organization, the Executive Committee may form subcommittees under its umbrella that will carry out the specific tasks to be assigned to them. The Executive Committee shall determine the purpose, membership, and manner of operation of each such subcommittee.

Article 11. Secretariat

1. 1.The Secretariat shall consist of the Secretary General and staff members
2. 2.The candidate or candidates for Secretary General shall be selected by a majority vote of members present at the Executive Committee, and shall be recommended to the President for appointment.
3. 3.The Secretary General shall be appointed by the President of the Organization.
4. 4.The Secretary General’s term of office shall be three years on a renewable basis. If he or she wishes for reappointment, it shall be reviewed by the Executive Committee. Paragraph 2 of Article 11 shall also be applied.
5. 5.The Secretary General shall perform the following duties:
   1. (1)The operation of the Secretariat in accordance with the “Regulations on the Operation of the TPO Secretariat.”
   2. (2)Execution of the decisions of the General Assembly and the Executive Committee.
   3. (3)Support for the members engaged in tourism promotion projects if requested.
6. 6.The Secretariat shall be located in Busan Metropolitan City, Korea.

Article 12. Forum

1. 1.The Tourism Promotion Organization (TPO) shall conduct forums for members to achieve the following objectives:
   1. (1)Gather views and opinions of its members; and
   2. (2)Help its members enhance the capabilities and skills of their employees.
2. 2.TPO Forums shall be held every two years and shall be chaired by the mayor of the host city.

Article 13. President and Co-President

1. 1.The Organization shall have a President and no more than five Co-Presidents, who shall be elected at the General Assembly subject to the following criteria:
   1. (1)The Chair of the Executive Committee shall recommend candidates for the President city and Co-President cities among government members;
   2. (2)A President city and Co-President cities shall be elected by consensus or a majority of votes at the General Assembly; and
   3. (3)Incumbent Mayors of the President city and Co-President cities will serve as President and Co-Presidents of the Organization.
2. 2.The President shall represent the Organization within the boundary of his or her responsibilities for decisions to be made by the General Assembly and the Executive Committee.
3. 3.The Co-Presidents shall assist the President and shall perform the duties of the President during such time as the President is unable to perform the duties of the office due to unavoidable circumstances.
4. 4.The President and the Co-Presidents shall serve a two-year term of office, and each shall be eligible for reelection.
5. 5.In the event that the mayor of the member serving as President or Co-President ceases to hold office as mayor for any reason, the succeeding mayor shall assume the duties of President or Co-President respectively.

Article 14. Expenses

Expenses incurred through the administration of projects and operation of the Organization shall be borne by each member involved, subject to the following:

1. (1)The expenses to host the General Assembly and TPO Forum shall be borne by host.
2. (2)The expenses to host the Executive Committee Meeting shall be borne by the host.
3. (3)Travel expenses for participating in the meetings of the Organization shall be borne by each participant.
4. (4)The expenses for operating the Secretariat shall be borne with collected membership fees and any deficiency will be paid by Busan Metropolitan City.
5. (5)The expenses for the joint projects undertaken by the Organization shall be borne with collected membership fees, and any deficiency will be paid by all the members of the Organization.
6. (6)The expenses for the joint projects in which a part of the members participate shall be borne by the very members participating in those projects..

Article 15. Authority Delegation

In addition to the matters provided for under these Statutes, the President is authorized to make any decisions that pertain to the projects and the operation of the Organization.