Tourism Indochina: Myanmar becoming must-see travel spot

Myanmar becoming must-see travel spot

Chiang Rai, THAILAND: As Myanmar opens its doors to travellers from around the world, the country's officials are planning their approach to tourism.

Landmark reforms now mean that Myanmar is becoming Southeast Asia's newest must-see destination.

It's something tourism officials welcome but understand the challenges that lie ahead.

Kyi Kyi Aye, advisor, Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, said: "Myanmar has the ambition - we are ambitious people - to promote and we want to endorse and promote responsible tourism as a pathway towards sustainable tourism."

Myanmar received around 400,000 tourists last year and that number is expected to grow 35 per cent or more in 2012.

Myanmar has an opportunity that few countries have had - they're able to build their tourism sector practically from the ground up, taking advantage of their neighbors failures and successes.

Capacity building and infrastructure upgrades have already begun.

With international standard hotel rooms in high demand, rates have doubled or tripled in the city of Yangon.

In an exclusive interview with Channel NewsAsia, U Htay Aung, Deputy Tourism Minister, cautioned businesses that tourists could just as easily be turned off by the jacked up prices.

"Because tourists cannot pay like that. If prices are what we call skyrocketedly [sic] up, it will be very difficult for tour operators to sell the prices. They have to be aware of the ethic[s] between the tour operators and the hotels."

And along with high prices comes the fact that the country's banking system can't process credit cards and instead transactions are routed through Singapore.

But officials reassured participants at this year's Mekong Tourism Forum in Chiang Rai that the travellers will be able to use credit cards freely within two months.

They said getting a visa will be easier as well.

The goal for the tourism sector, Kyi Kyi Aye said, is to make Myanmar not just a better place to visit, but a better place to live.

- CNA/ck/ 15June2012

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Tourism Indochina: Tourism in Cambodia flourishes

Tourism in Cambodia flourishes

The number of international visitors to Cambodia continued to rise between January and May this year compared to the same time last year, data received from the Ministry of Tourism indicated.

The number of international tourists visiting Cambodia increased 26.3 per cent to 1,505,734 visitors in the first five months of the year compared to 1,191,757 tourists in the same period last year.

The figure revealed that international visitors travelling by land increased by 35.7 per cent, 19.2 per cent by air and 12.5 per cent by sea.

Cambodia’s tourism market may be affected by the European market because of Greek’s debt crisis.

The Cambodian tourism market will be able to attract visitors from the nearby Asia Pacific and ASEAN regions, tourism minister Thong Khon said.

The growth in the number of tourists visiting Cambodia is more than was expected in 2011, which was 15 per cent.

The factors pushing the increase consist of Cambodia’s ASEAN chairmanship, international standard restaurants and more direct flights and political stability, said Ang Kim Eang, President of the Cambodian Association of Travel Agents.

Source: Phnompenhpost/28June2012

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Tourism Indochina: 40 Spanish Tour Companies joint-hand to bring over 1,000 tourists from Spain to Cambodia by four Airplanes

40 Spanish Tour Companies joint-hand to bring over 1,000 tourists from Spain to Cambodia by four Airplanes

Planes carrying more than 1,000 Spanish tourists landed in Siem Reap on Saturday, in what tourism officials called a positive signal from Europe during a time of economic instability.

The tour that brought 1,290 tourist in on four chartered planes saw some of the first direct tourism-oriented flights from Madrid, Spain. It also brought some of the largest planes – three Airbus 330s and one Boing 767 – ever to land in Siem Reap.

“It’s the first time big planes land here. I hope it will attract more European tourists,” said Kong Sangvar, managing director of Orchestra Travel & Tours, an agency that helped organise the trip.

Although there are no plans for direct flights, the chartered flights have put tourism potential from Spain on some officials’ radars.

“Permanent flights needs long-term research because it is based on passengers from Spain,” TithVanna, SiemReapInternationalAirport director, said.

Ang Kim Eang, president of the Cambodian Association of Travel Agents, said the trip signifies thatEurope was not a dead market for Cambodian tourism.

Source: MoT

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Tourism Indochina: Korea to build a tourism university in Cambodia

Korea to build a tourism university in Cambodia

Cheju Halla, a Korean University, plans to build next year a university of tourism and hospitality in Siem Reap where millions of tourists flock to see the famous Angkor Wat, the most popular tourist attraction in Cambodia, Tourism Minister Thong Khon said at a meeting with Han Soo Kim, the new South Korean ambassador to Cambodia.

The $20-million school construction project, which is expected to break ground by 2013, is to respond to the Ministry of Tourism’s call for South Korea’s help in developing its tourism sector due to a sharp increase in the number of Korean tourists from 180,900 for the first four months of 2012 compared to 130,200 in the same period of 2011.

Source: PhnomPenhPost/21June2012

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Tourism Indochina: Funds raised helped 870 families from Cambodia’s Flood victims

Funds raised helped 870 families from Cambodia’s Flood victims

The inspiration for the flood relief appeal came from the children of Green Gecko who shared their concerns about the food crisis caused by the localized extensive flooding. The kids made a proposal on how they would like to help, “Our plan is to save money from our own food spending to buy rice, canned fish, soy sauce and clean water for families that need help. We are looking for partners to join us in our efforts.” Inspired by this initiative, Hotel de la Paix, Golden Banana Boutique Hotel and Resort, Heritage Suites Hotel, Exotissimo Travel Cambodia are collaborating to raise funds to purchase and deliver food and fresh water to 1,200 families in the hardest hit provinces, whom have not yet received any aid.

On October 20, 2011, twenty management and staff from Siem Reap’s tourism business, together with 16 kids from the Green Gecko family worked hand in hand to pack 15 kg of rice, tinned fish and soy sauce and deliver the supplies to three villages and 400 families in the outskirts of Siem Reap who are still in desperate need of aid. On Friday 21st & Sunday October 23rd another 470 families in the Kampong Thom province received the same assistance and other actions are planned for the coming weeks.

Flooding has spread across 17 of Cambodia’s 24 provinces, killing 247 people, forcing the evacuation of more than 34,000 households, and destroying some 200,000 hectares of rice fields, says the National Committee for Disaster Management. Vegetable plots have been destroyed, livestock have been lost and the price of rice has gone up by more than 50%. Access to food is critical for thousands of families, and food security will be a vital concern for thousands more for weeks and months to come.

“Despite scorching sun and torrential rain our common goal of delivering much needed food and water to 870 families across 7 villages was achieved. It just goes to show, all you need is some passion, a common goal and friends willing to work together and you can see what can be achieved. Thank you for supporting our kids in their initiative and involving them in such a great community project… you all made them feel very special and worthy.” said Tania Palmer, the co‐founder and director of the Green Gecko Project.

The three hotels and travel partner are continuously launching appeals to both guests and friends to raise funds for a Direct Action for Emergency Flood Relief. The call likewise goes out to anyone who can and wishes to assist families in plain desperate need. Funds donated go directly and entirely to the purchase of rice, fish and water for those families. Anyone wishing to help should contact the hotels directly or go to http://www.razoo.com/story/Floodreliefcollaboration to donate online.

Source: Breakingtravelnews/29th Oct 2011

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Tourism Indochina: World Tourism News: Tourism can contribute to the three pillars of sustainability

Tourism can contribute to the three pillars of sustainability

PR No.: PR12041,Rio de Janeiro,Madrid, 22 Jun 12

Tourism, providing jobs and supporting the livelihoods of millions, particularly of women and young people, is central to advancing the three pillars of sustainability, agreed participants meeting at a Rio+20 tourism event.

Participants at the side event ´Tourism for a Sustainable Future´ held at Rio+20 agreed that tourism can make a significant contribution to the three pillars of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental.

“Tourism is interlinked with the seven key themes being discussed here at Rio+20 – jobs, energy, cities, food, water, oceans and disasters – and can be a factor of development for developing and developed countries alike,” said Gastão Vieira, Minister of Tourism of Brazil, opening the event.

“We are here today at Rio, twenty years after the first Earth Summit, to renew our commitments, define shared goals and agree on a roadmap for a better future,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, highlighting that “amid growing economic concerns it is now, more than ever, that we need to call for the right policies, the adequate investment and the proper business practices that can advance us towards fairer, more people-centered, inclusive growth”.

“Tourism’s capacity to create jobs is central to this debate,” said Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), underlining tourism’s multiplier effects. “We cannot forget that for every job created in tourism, many more jobs are created in other sectors.”

The role of the UN system in advancing tourism’s contribution to economic growth and development was debated, namely the work of the UN Steering Committee on Tourism for Development (SCTD), an initiative led by UNWTO and bringing together eight further UN agencies and programmes (ILO, ITC, UNCTAD, UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO, UNIDO, WTO) to ensure an integrated and more effective international cooperation – ‘Delivering as One ‘- for tourism, and to accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Participants emphasized the role of sustainable tourism in creating decent jobs, stimulating trade and linkages and eliminating poverty. There was a clear call to improve the link between local communities and tourism attractions in order make tourism a more effective tool in the fight against poverty and to advance awareness-raising among tourists of their obligation to respect and protect the environment considering that it is tourism’s prime interest and responsibility to protect natural resources.

Closing the event, Maurice Strong, Secretary-General of the 1992 Earth Summit said “your sector has a real interest in protecting the environment and a huge potential for the green economy as its assets are the ones we need to preserve and enhance.”

The event also counted on the participation of the Minister of Tourism of Ecuador, Freddy Ehlers; the Minister of Tourism of Madagascar, Jean Max Rakotomamonjy; the Vice-Minister for Tourism Planning of Mexico, Jorge Mezher; Ambassador Dho Young-Shim, Member of the UN MDG Advocacy Group and Chair of the ST-EP Foundation (Sustainable Tourism - Eliminating Poverty); the President of the ST-EP Foundation and former UNWTO Secretary-General, Francesco Frangialli; and Shahrazad Roohi, Environmental Advisor for the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Cultural Authority.

Source: UNWTO

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Tourism Indochina: World Tourism News: G20 recognizes Travel & Tourism as a driver of economic growth for the first time and commits to work on travel facilitation

G20 recognizes Travel & Tourism as a driver of economic growth for the first time and commits to work on travel facilitation

PR No.:PR12040,Madrid,London,20 Jun 12

The G20 world leaders have, for the first time, recognized the importance of Travel & Tourism as a driver of jobs, growth and economic recovery.

The Leaders’ Declaration from the annual meeting of the G20 world leaders, held in Los Cabos, Mexico, on 18-19 June, recognizes "the role of travel and tourism as a vehicle for job creation, economic growth and development” and commits to “work towards developing travel facilitation initiatives in support of job creation, quality work, poverty reduction and global growth.”

This is the first time that Travel & Tourism has been included in the G20 Leaders’ Declaration and is the culmination of long-term efforts by the industry, led by UNWTO and WTTC, to encourage world leaders to see the potential of Travel & Tourism to create millions of new jobs and billions of dollars of GDP.

According to WTTC, the industry will directly contribute US$ 2 trillion in GDP and 100 million jobs to the global economy in 2012. When the wider economic impacts of the industry are taken into account, Travel & Tourism is forecast to contribute some US$ 6.5 trillion to the global economy and generate 260 million jobs – or 1 in 12 of all jobs on the planet.

Research by the two organizations, released at the T20 Ministers Meeting, showed that the G20 could boost their international tourist numbers by an additional 122 million, generate an extra US$ 206 billion in tourism exports and create over five million additional jobs by 2015 by improving visa processes and entry formalities. Findings showed that of the 656 million international tourists who visited G20 countries in 2011, an estimated 110 million needed a visa, while millions more were deterred from traveling by the cost, waiting time and difficulty of obtaining a visa. Facilitating visas for these tourists, many from some of the world’s fastest growing source markets such as the BRICs, could stimulate demand, spending and ultimately create millions of new jobs in the G20 economies.

Speaking after the publication of the G20 Leaders’ Declaration, UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai and WTTC President & CEO, David Scowsill said:

“We commend the G20 world leaders for recognizing the importance of Travel & Tourism as a driver of economic growth and job creation for the first time and stand ready to support all efforts by the G20 countries in this respect. This is a significant success for the industry and could not have happened without the support of President Calderon, a leader who truly understands the socio-economic value of tourism and its potential to create new jobs in such difficult economic times, and without the commitment of Secretary Gloria Guevara, who so successfully chaired the T20 (Tourism Ministers of G20 countries) last month. Mexico is an example in marketing its extraordinary tourism destinations, but also in tourism policy namely through significant advances in visa policies which encourage more inbound tourists.

By facilitating visas, the G20 countries stand to gain five million jobs at a time of rampant unemployment across the world. These are in addition to the hundreds of millions of direct and indirect jobs already being supported every day by the sector.” Source: UNWTO

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