Asean Ministers pose for a group pictorial. L-R: Asean Sec-Gen, Dr Surin Pitsuwan, Brunei's Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah Hj Abd Wahab, Singapore's S Iswara, Vietnam's Hoang Vinh Ai, Thailand's Sasithara Pichaichannarong, Brunei's Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia H Yahya Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar, Cambodia's Dr Thong Khon, Malaysia's Dato Sri Dr. Ng Yen Yen, Indonesia's Jero Wacik, Lao's Somphong Mongkhonvilay, Myanmar's Major General Soe Naing and Philippines' Oscar Palabyab.
via CAAI News Media
Mon, Jan 25, 2010
The Brunei Times/Asia News Network
THE framework for the five-year strategic plan, which aims to promote Southeast Asia as a one-stop tourism destination, has been endorsed by ministers and senior government officials from Asean member countries at the Asean Tourism Forum (ATF) Ministerial Meeting.
Sheikh Jamaluddin Sheikh Mohamed, director of the Brunei Tourism Development Department, said that more information is expected to be released during a press conference today about the plan, which includes proposals to further improve connectivity and transportation to facilitate travel.
He and Deputy Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah Hj Abdul Wahab shared their sentiment about the participants' support during the meeting.
"What we did today, basically, was endorse the framework and key elements that would make up and constitute this Asean Tourism Strategic Plan for 2011 to 2015. This was the highlight of the meeting for me," the deputy minister said.
The plan is scheduled to be launched in Cambodia during the next ATF meeting in 2011.
"At present, there is no more that can be talked about the decision, but the process is very well articulated by the task force leader," said the deputy minister.
Sasithara Pichaichannarong, Permanent Secretary at Thailand's Ministry of Tourism and Sport further elaborated on this endorsement: "They have approved (the framework), now I use and endorse the term Asean Tourism Strategic Plan, which was one of the important discussions that we had this morning. Before this, we have what we called the Asean Tourism Integration Plan, which will end in 2010. And during the period of 2008 to 2009, we were asking ourselves whether it would end like this or we will move it further to Asean Tourism Integration Plan 2010-2015," she said.
She, however, explained that they felt a kind of integration was not appropriate at this time, thus leading to the decision of endorsing the strategic plan.
"We should think of the strategic way for example, how we can move forward, what kind of proactive movement. And we decided together, one year ago, that it will be changed to the Asean Strategic Plan," the Thai permanent secretary said, adding that this has been approved at all levels.
"So today we went into the details... and they (the ministers) have added four of the elements like for the facilitation of travel," she said.
"We have to work closely with the transportation sector, because we know that tourism and transport (go) together, for railway tourism, for the cruise tourism, for the road access and even the open-skies connectivity. So they suggested we have to work in an energetic way in transportation. This is the second item that we have endorsed and approved," added Sasithara.
She then told The Brunei Times that the essence of the strategic plan is to look forward and cope with new and upcoming challenges.
When the region's economies suffer a downturn, the plan is seen to help them recover, she explained.
"Today, it was reported that (there was only) nearly one per cent decline for Asean as a whole. That is not bad at all. Other regions, they dipped a lot and some countries have not changed at all," she said.
"This is what we are working on ... as a single destination. A community looking to be proactive," added the Thai permanent secretary.
Meanwhile, Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah explained that there are different phases to the formulation of the plan. The full report is expected to be available for review by June or July.
"Starting from now until April is the consultative process whereby the organising team will consult individual Asean countries and carry out assessment analysis to find out the issues faced by each economy," he said.
"The aspirations of individual economies and challenges of each Asean country which will be encapsulated under the countries strategic direction. The challenges therefore for the organising team is to marry the 10 strategic directions into a common Asean tourism strategic plan," he added.
He also spoke of how this plan will help Brunei strengthen its tourism industry. "Our key market is not only Asean but also the plus three countries, China, Japan and Korea. Brunei is quite young in this tourism industry and to actually be a part of this joint tourism strategic plan will help position Brunei, right from day one, to tap into this market."
Cambodia's Minister of Tourism, Dr Thong Khon said that the strategic plan will lead to the strengthening of Asean tourism.
"This morning (yesterday) is both fruitful and meaningful. We have now agreed on and are supporting the structure of the strategic plan," he said.
"It is a very interesting structure, we hope that this would be adopted in Cambodia by 2011," he said.
An earlier news report said that Southeast Asia's five-year roadmap to develop and promote the region as a collective tourism destination is "on target" for approval in November this year.
Professor Walter Jamieson of the College of Innovation of Thailand's Thammasat University, who Asean has contracted to draw up the strategic plan, and his team will however first visit each of the countries to meet with a wide range of stakeholders.
"We feel that it is really important that all the stakeholders, not just the NTOs, but the private sector and NGOs (non-government organisations) and other parts of civil society have a chance to let us know what they want out of tourism for their countries," said the professor.
After these checkpoints have been achieved, the plan would then have to wait for approval this November and ratification by the tourism ministers next January.
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