ASEAN working on tourism pact

ASEAN working on tourism pact

MANILA: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is
working on an agreement to boost tourism in the region by making
travel within its 10 member countries "easier and less
expensive", Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said
Friday.

In a speech at a meeting of business leaders from ASEAN
countries, Arroyo said the tourism agreement was just one of
several steps being taken by the regional grouping to increase
integration.

"We are drafting an agreement to make it easier and less
expensive for tourists to come and travel within ASEAN," she
said. "Closer integration is necessary for the long-term survival
and prosperity of each of the ASEAN countries.

The Asian Development Bank said tourism contributed an average
of 10.8 percent to the gross domestic product of Southeast Asian
countries and provided an average of 8.2 percent of total
employment in 2001. -- DPA