ASEAN officials discuss plans to promote tourism

ASEAN officials discuss plans to promote tourism

KUALA LUMPUR (DPA): Southeast Asian tourism ministers and senior officials met early this week to discuss how to boost regional tourism through moves such as creating a special immigration lane for visitors and increasing direct air links with one another.

The one-day informal meeting of tourism ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Monday also agreed to promote the region as a major conventions and sports events venue, increase yachting and leisure boat activities, and enhance joint cooperation programs.

The officials also agreed to upgrade the informal annual meeting into a formal ASEAN tourism ministers' meeting which will be held before June this year.

Speaking at a joint news conference after the meeting, Malaysia's Culture, Tourism and Arts Minister Sabbaruddin Chik said the ASEAN members agreed to open up special immigration lanes for ASEAN visitors to encourage intra-regional travel.

Thailand already has such a lane at its Bangkok airport while Malaysia will implement the proposal at its new airport to be completed next year. Except for Vietnam, all other ASEAN countries do not require visas for ASEAN tourists.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Prospective ASEAN members Cambodia and Laos also attended Monday's meeting.

Referring to regional tourism cooperation programs, Sabbaruddin said the proposed Trans-Asia railway project from Singapore to southern China is an example of helping to develop Indochina's Mekong Basin region as a tourist destination.

The ministerial meeting was held in conjunction with the four- day ASEAN tourism forum - an annual convention of buyers and sellers of tourism products and services which was opened Monday night.