ASEAN Cooperation for Tourism Development

The ASEAN region is rich in tourism potential. Increasing regional cooperation for tourism development is a high priority of each member country, as well as a commitment of member states to ASEAN tourism agreement and ASEAN tourism integration strategy. Vietnam Business Forum interviewed Mr Pham Quang Hung, Directorof the Department of International Cooperation, Vietnam Administration of Tourism.

How do you assess ASEAN tourism potential and the importance of the ASEAN market to Vietnam tourism?

It is true that ASEAN has great potential for tourism development. ASEAN tourism has been well promoted and is becoming attractive to both local and foreign tourists. With the great efforts of tourism agencies of member states, ASEAN tourism has recorded encouraging success. The growth of the number of tourists in the region is always higher than the average global rate. In 2009, ASEAN received 65 million tourists, up 0.19 % from 2008, making up nearly 50 % of the region itself. Total 2009 tourism turnover in ASEAN was US$57 billion.

For Vietnam, tourism is increasingly important to the national economy. In 2009, Vietnam received 3.77 million foreign tourists. In the first three months of 2010, the number was 1,351,224 with ASEAN tourists making up one third. This shows the importance of the ASEAN tourism market for Vietnam. Bilateral cooperation between Vietnam and Thailand will be promoted with the establishment of a working group to plan for the exchange of one million tourists each year from now to 2015.

Ever since Vietnam became an official member of ASEAN, Vietnam tourism has made great efforts in bilateral and multilateral frameworks to contribute initiatives to develop action plans, cooperation projects, and integrate tourism development.

How can cooperation be promoted to tap this potential?

Regional cooperation especially in tourism is a priority of each ASEAN member. This has been clearly expressed in State documents such as the ASEAN tourism agreement, the ASEAN tourism integration strategy and the Mutual recognition agreement (MRA), signed and now being implemented. Furthermore, countries in the region have common interests in tourism development, such as favourable communication and transport, cultural similarities and related natural heritage, great conditions for development of contiguous tours.

Clearly, however, both world tourism and ASEAN tourism face complicated problems: natural disasters, diseases, climate change, degraded environment, and the impacts of global economic crisis that are affecting sustainable development of regional tourism. To develop tourism, ASEAN member States must continue to make joint efforts, improving service quality, introducing suitable tourist services, promoting inter-regional tourism, and especially implementing the MRA signed at ASEAN Tourism Forum in Vietnam in January 2009 to facilitate tourist workforce exchange within ASEAN. ASEAN members should coordinate more closely, removing barriers on movement and visa formalities, while focusing on air, land and sea transport, promotion activities and human resources development to meet increasing market demand.

What are the main themes of the seminar “ASEAN cooperation for tourism development” currently being held in Da Nang?

Tourism sectors of ASEAN members need to increase joint efforts to promote inter-regional tourism and attract tourists from third countries, and develop the unique and attractive image of ASEAN tourism. The seminar is an initiative of Vietnam tourism to promote regional tourism, facilitate ASEAN cooperation, find solutions to overcome challenges to regional tourism, develop ASEAN tourism as an attractive destination and contribute to building a dynamic and sustainable ASEAN economic community.

ASEAN tourism authorities also implement initiatives on cruise tourism, crisis management, sub-regional cooperation, promotion activities, and cooperation of groups of nations for common growth of ASEAN.

Will the plan “Ten nations – one destination” become a priority of ASEAN in its efforts to develop regional tourism?

ASEAN tourism has great opportunities in 2010 and the following years. Therefore, the promotion for ASEAN tourism such as “Ten nations – one destination”, “ASEAN – common destination” is a priority of 10 member countries in 2010, especially Vietnam as the current chairman of ASEAN. To this end, ASEAN members should develop the inter-regional tourist market, and successfully implement the ASEAN Charter with commitments to develop and improve service quality and contribute to poverty reduction. Member countries should also implement such measures as open sky, the harmonization of visa and customs formalities, and improve infrastructure to promote ASEAN as one destination.

How do you see the role of tourism in ASEAN economic development strategy?

For Vietnam and ASEAN in general, in recent years, tourism has become a spearhead sector of national economic strategy. Governments have focused investments for tourism development. Tourism has been promoted, creating jobs and income for people, alleviating poverty and contributing to the achievement of UN millennium development goals.In recent years, ASEAN tourism continues to develop in spite of the world economic crisis. It proves that tourism remains a driving force of ASEAN economic development, contributing to economic growth and mutual understanding between nations.

Presently ASEAN tourism has great opportunities for development. The East-West economic corridor linking Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam has been completed and started operating. The trans-Asia railway connecting Singapore and Yunnan has been basically completed. This year, the open-sky agreement between ASEAN members will become effective. Those are important conditions to start a more efficient cooperation in ASEAN tourism, build ASEAN community by 2015, accelerate integration and implement the ASEAN tourism development strategy of 2011-2015.

Tags: Vietnam Tourism