Ambitious Arrivals Goal Set by ASEAN
The 2017 edition of the ASEAN Tourism Forum has just wrapped up, kicking off a year in which the member states of ASEAN will mark the 50th anniversary of the organization.
The ATF took place in Singapore at the Marina Bay Sands last week, and was attended by western Canada editor Ted Davis.
The original five countries that created ASEAN – Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines – have since grown in number to a total of 10. Together with these additional five countries – Brunei, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos – ASEAN has gone on to establish links and synergies to benefit the region economically. Hence the definition of the acronym – Association of South East Asian Nations.
One of the bedrock sectors of both the individual member countries and the collective whole is tourism. The ASEAN tourism industry accounts for over 12% of the regional GDP, which is nearly four percentage points above most other regions. ASEAN boasts compelling advantages for its tourism sector, including a year-round favourable climate, price competitiveness and a compact geography for easy intra-ASEAN travel.
But the development of key infrastructure elements is lagging, says the World Travel and Tourism Council. A WTTC report currently ranks its travel and tourism infrastructure only ahead of Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa. Some of those that are particularly lacking include Myanmar, Cambodia and the Philippines, while Singapore and Indonesia are the stars of the region.
Organizers launched the 2017 ATF with an address by Singapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, who officially presented the ASEAN@50 golden celebration tourism campaign. Its ambitious goals include a projected increase in arrivals to the region, from 109 million in 2015 to 121 million by the end of 2017.
“In this uncertain global environment, ASEAN is an important life raft for all of us,” said prime minister Loong.
Pictured, dancers welcome delegates to the Cambodia destination location at the ASEAN Tourism Forum in Singapore.
