Tourism Indochina: Advancing Cruise Tourism in ASEAN

Tourism Indochina: Advancing Cruise Tourism in ASEAN

SINGAPORE: ASEAN's Tourism Ministers have agreed on closer collaboration to advance cruise tourism in the region at their recent meeting in Manado, Indonesia.

To this end, ASEAN will look at a series of workshops, co-organised with the industry, to share best practices and strengthen collaboration in port infrastructure development, development of regional itineraries and joint marketing.

Details were released by Singapore's Trade and Industry Ministry.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Trade and Industry, S Iswaran, who attended the meeting, said: "This is a positive development for ASEAN tourism as we work towards a strong regional cruise tourism industry.

"Singapore will work closely with the member states and the industry to organise these workshops in the coming months. Collectively, we can bring out the region's strong diversity and promote greater tourism flows within ASEAN."

The meeting noted that a key enabler in advancing cruise tourism in ASEAN is to develop adequate port infrastructure to accommodate more cruise ships.

ASEAN countries can also work together to develop regional cruise itineraries and share experience in enhancing shore-side attractions and amenities at the various destinations.

The Ministry added that the opening of Singapore's International Cruise Terminal (ICT) this year will support ASEAN's goal to be an exciting cruise region.

The terminal will double berth capacity and allow Singapore to cater to the world's largest ships.

Speaking in support of ASEAN's direction, Mr Michael Bayley, executive vice president of International of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, said: "The ASEAN region enjoys many innate favourable factors for cruise development such as the huge population base and growing affluence that will drive demand for travel.

"Together with the more active developments in the cruise infrastructure here recently, ASEAN's cruise industry is now poised to grow beyond its infancy stage and in the long run, to make the region the next exotic cruise paradise of the East."

Source: CNA/cc

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Tourism Indochina: Minister of Tourism attended the ASEAN Ministers Meeting in ASEAN Tourism Forum

Tourism Indochina: Minister of Tourism attended the ASEAN Ministers Meeting in ASEAN Tourism Forum

Indonesia- On January 10-15, 2012, Cambodian delegations, led by H.E Dr. THONG Khon, Minister of Tourism of the Kingdom, attended the 15th ASEAN Ministers Meeting, the 13th ASEAN Ministers Meeting plus China, Japan and Korea, and the 3rd ASEAN-India Meeting in ASEAN Tourism Forum under the theme of “Tourism For A Global Community of Nations”, held in Manado, Indonesia.

In the 15th ASEAN Ministers Meeting, ASEAN Tourism Ministers have highly appreciated the continued progress in implementing the ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan 2011-2015 which was endorsed during the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2011 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Moreover, the ASEAN Tourism Ministers have jointly committed to further foster implementation of the ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan in order to accomplish the defined targets, namely strengthening of tourism product quality through standardizing the quality of various tourism products; endeavors in human resource capacity building in tourism sector via the stringent implementation of the Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) and last but not least, the joint promotion of ASEAN tourist destination.

In keeping with this spirit, the ASEAN Tourism Ministers have endorsed the ASEAN Green Hotel Standard, ASEAN Home Stay Standard, and ASEAN Spar Standard, and at the meantime, approved and supported the initiatives of Cambodia in preparing the ASEAN Clean Tourist City Standard based on the Cambodian Clean Tourist City Standard. during the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2012, ASEAN Tourism Ministers have conferred upon the Green Hotel Reward to the 10 Hotels in Cambodia, in which seven hotels located in Siem Reap province, one hotel in Phnom Penh, one in Preah Sihanouk province, and another one in Battambang province in addition to the existing 20 ASEAN Green Hotels in the country.

Concurrently, ASEAN Tourism Ministers have endorsed the ASEAN Tourism Marketing Strategy 2012-2015, aiming at developing ASEAN to be the competitive tourist destination, mainly targeting the Chinese and Indian source markets as well as the Intra-ASEAN Travelers (ASEAN for ASEAN).

It is remarkable to note that in 2011, ASEAN registered international tourists of approximately 79 million with an increase of 7.4% (in which tourists from China, Japan, Korea recorded 12 million, 2.4 million from India, and 34 million of Intra-ASEAN Travelers, and ASEAN will receive approximately 107 million in 2015.

Furthermore, the 11th ASEAN Tourism Ministers Meeting plus China, Japan and Korea have conducted in accordance with the agendas of cooperation of ASEAN+3 (China, Japan, Korea). The meeting has shared opinions and best practices and highly appreciates the strong tourism cooperation in the framework of ASEAN+3, thereby requesting to further encourage youth travelers, joint-promotion of ASEAN+3, connectivity of ASEAN+3, healthy and security cooperation by preparing the Memorandum of Cooperation-MOC on ASEAN Plus Three (ATP) Tourism Cooperation which is agreed to be signed in 2012 as well as further intensify the implementation of ASEAN Plus Three Work Plan 2007-2017. the ASEAN Tourism Ministers have highly appreciated the ASEAN-Japan Center and ASEAN-Korea Center for best endeavors in technically supporting ASEAN tourism development, and strongly welcome remarks by H.E Taleb Rifai, the Secretary General of United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) showcasing the progressive development of cooperation between ASEAN and UNWTO.

In particular, the 3rd ASEAN Ministers Meeting + India has mutually recognized the importance of tourism development between ASEAN and India, and agreed to sign the Memorandum of Understanding ASEAN-India on Tourism Cooperation. Whereby, ASEAN Tourism Ministers have welcomed the establishment of ASEAN Promotion Chapter Mombai and ASEAN-India Car Rally 2012.

Overall, ASEAN Tourism Ministers have supported and committed to urge up ASEAN connectivity by further encourage visa exemption between ASEAN member states and welcome the implementation of Common Visa (by introducing the formation of Minus X as experienced in ACMECS framework, Single Visa between Cambodia and Thailand), as well as further strengthen close cooperation in ASEAN Transportation service, particularly air connectivity by mean of the Full Liberation of Passenger Air Services by 2015. It is remarkable to note that the Opening of ASEAN Tourism Forum 2012 was highly presided over by H.E Boediono, the Vice-President of Indonesia with honorary participation of H.E Taleb Rifai, the Secretary General of UNWTO and Tourism Ministers of ASEAN, China, Japan, Korea and India.

The next ASEAN Tourism Forum 2013 will be hosted in Vientiane, Laos from 18-21 January 2013. Source: MOT

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