VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN): Tourism ministers from the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) have vowed to push for sustainable, inclusive and competitive tourism in the region, which continues to promote a single tourism destination.
Ending their 27th meeting in Vientiane on Friday, the ministers endorsed a Memorandum of Understanding between the bloc and United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). The partnership covers four focus areas, namely tourism competitiveness, capability development/capacity building, sustainability, and inclusivity.
“The meeting encouraged Asean Member States to further promote the Asean Tourism Standards in their respective countries to increase the region’s competitiveness,” the ministers said in their joint media statement.
The region has made progress in implementing the Pakxe Declaration on Asean Roadmap for Strategic Development of Ecotourism Clusters and Tourism Corridors to reinforce the region as a single, sustainable, and inclusive tourism destination envisioned under the Asean Tourism Strategic Plan (ATSP) for 2016-2025, the ministers noted.
The ministers commended their sound engagement with Asean transport ministers -- a cross-sectoral collaboration to push for better transport links between Asean cities to promote the region as a single tourism destination.
Chaired by Lao Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Suanesavanh Vignaket, the meeting reviewed the implementation of the ATSP 2016-2025 and other key priorities in 2023-2024 to further support the speedy recovery of the tourism sector.
The 10-member Asean bloc saw a 153.09 percent year-on-year increase in international arrivals in 2023.
Convened under the theme “Quality and Responsible Tourism: Sustaining Asean Future”, the meeting emphasised the importance of forging closer collaboration between Asean member states in all relevant sectors to ensure the sustainability and resiliency of Asean tourism.
The ministers tasked Asean National Tourism Organisations to begin developing the ATSP post-2025 to further promote regional tourism. Meanwhile, Laos as the Asean Chair, will develop the Asean Ecotourism Standard as a priority economic deliverable for 2024.
The ministers acknowledged the need to address the shortage of qualified tourism professionals due to the movement of labour to different sectors after the Covid-19 pandemic hit the region.
In this regard, the meeting agreed on the importance of providing Asean tourism professionals with the appropriate training, assessment and certification, latest knowledge and skills upgrade.
The meeting underlined the need to establish and ensure a comprehensive and responsive platform to engage tourism-related private sectors, given the important role these sectors play in driving regional tourism.
The ministerial meeting and related meetings are associated with the Asean Tourism Forum 2024, which took place from January 22-27 in Vientiane under the theme “Quality and Responsible Tourism: Sustaining Asean Future”.
Some 250 international sellers and exhibitors, 126 buyers, and 108 reporters from Laos and other countries attended the Forum.
Delivering her closing remarks at the Forum, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Suanesavanh Vignaket expressed sincere appreciation for the successful organisation of the Forum, especially the close collaboration between Asean member states, dialogue partners, and all relevant sectors.
At the closing ceremony, the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism handed over the chairmanship of the Asean Tourism Forum to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Malaysia.
The next Asean Tourism Forum will take place in Malaysia from January 19-25, 2025, under the theme “Unity in Motion: Shaping Asean’s Tourism Tomorrow”. - Vientiane Times/ANN
