Call To Make Travel Into And Within Asean Easier
By Hadi DP Mahmud

Bandar Seri Begawan - Last year, Asean saw an increase of eight per cent in visitors to the region, said satisfied ministers who attended the Asean Tourism Forum (ATF) 2007 in Singapore last month. Forty-nine per cent of the total number of visitors to the Asean' region in 2006 comprised Asean citizens.

The ministers have reiterated their commitment to the 'Asean Roadmap for Tourism Integration' in sustaining Asean's appeal as a tourist destination, and called for government and private sectors to cooperate in developing the industry further.

Brunei represented by Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Pehin Orang Kaya Setia Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Dr Ahmad Jumat has welcomed the developments that have been achieved by Asean, especially with the tourism taskforce for their efforts in developing Asean's tourism industry.

Pehin Dato Dr Ahmad said that cooperation between the public and private sectors inAse an; and cooperation with the Asean dialogue countries in developing and executing Asean tourism activities is important for the development and success of the Asean tourism industry.

Key outcomes of the Asean tourism Ministers and National Tourism Organisations (NTO) meetings include strengthening integration in the region, with focus on increasing connectivity and liberalising travel barriers to facilitate easy cross-border intraAsean travel, as well as making it convenient for visitors to travel into and within Asean.

The ministers directed senior Asean tourism officials to discuss with senior Asean transport officials and Asean director generals of Immigration on the possibility of an 'open skies' agreement in Asean, easing intra-Asean travel for Asean citizens with the possibility of visa exemption, easing travel for non-Asean citizens travelling through Asean boundaries and easing cruise tourism.

During the Asean National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) Meeting, joint-branding and promotional efforts were made to boost Asean tourism in Sydney, Beijing and Seoul through the Asean Tourism Promotional Chapter (ATPC).

The ministers highlighted the importance of cooperation with Asean dialogue countries, which are China, Japan, Korea, India and Russia. There are plans to set up Asean centres in China and Korea to expand tourism for both parties, similar to Japan's recently enacted Asean-Japan Centre (AJC).

The ministers also pinpointed the importance of coordinating and managing effective communications with regard to issues that have an impact on tourism in Asean by ensuring accurate and precise flow of information. The Asean Crisis Communications Manual, which has been prepared by the Asean Crisis Communication Team (ACCT) will guide Asean countries on the coordination and management of effective communication in handling crisis. The ministers have directed their senior Asean tourism officials to seal the main elements in the Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) for Asean professional tourism to be signed in Bangkok in 2008.

The MRA is hoped to ease the movement of tourists in Asean and raise the quality of human resources in the tourism industry. The ministers have also acknowledged the completion of Guidelines of Certification of Asean Tourism Standards, as well as the logo, especially for hotels and restaurants in Asean.

More than 1,700 delegates from over 50 countries participated in the forum. The meetings were co-chaired by S Iswaran, Singapore's Minister of State for the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and Dr Suvit Yodmani, Thailand's Minister of Tourism and Sports.

On February 5, Pehin Dato Dr Ahmad also made a working visit to the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the Singapore Hotels Association (SHA) office. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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