Visa streamlining, tourism drive urged

Supachai Panitchpakdi, secretary-general of the Geneva-based United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad), said the e-visa system that has already been initiated should move forward to increase convenience for foreign tourists. At the same time, each nation should place more importance on its security system in line with the standards of the World Tourism Organisation.

A single-visa scheme for non-Asean tourists is also something member states should pursue, delegates heard. Mari Elka Pangestu, Indonesia’s minister of tourism and creative economy, said it was an essential tool to help draw more foreign tourists. The region stands out on the world tourism map as a showcase for the natural and cultural heritage of 10 diverse nations.

The idea of a common visa for non-Asean tourists was proposed by Jakarta previously and is expected to be finalised at the next Asean ministers meeting in 2013. If it becomes reality, it should boost tourist numbers in the region.

Last year, 82 million people travelled in the Asean region, up by 9.5 per cent from 2010. Of these tourists, 49 per cent were intra-Asean travellers. In terms of Asean+6 (also including China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand), the proportion was 75 per cent.

Mari cited a report by the Group of 20 on visa facilitation, saying streamlining the process would add 112 million international tourists by 2015 and generate US$206 billion (Bt6.5 trillion) for the group. The G20 also foresaw the creation of 5.1 million jobs.

Delegates yesterday held a preliminary meeting on the tourism industry before the WEF on East Asia starts in Bangkok today. Asean faces challenges to drive the industry sustainably, with a view to environmental, economic and cultural aspects. They agreed that Southeast Asian was a major tourist destination.

Mari said the members of the bloc should work together before the implementation of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) to keep their tourism industries going in the same direction. She accepted that all members would compete head-on with one another, but said it was essential to cooperate, especially in marketing, to promote the single region as well.

The key word now is "connectivity" in the region, to drive economic growth and job creation. Mari hopes the number of tourists in Asean will see close to two-|digit growth after the AEC integration.

Chumpol Silapa-archa, Minister of Tourism and Sports, agreed that members should join forces to move regional tourism ahead. However, he was sceptical over the Asean Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2012 released yesterday at the Travel, Trade and Tourism Summit held in Bangkok ahead of the WEF on East Asia. It said Singapore was ranked on top, followed by Malaysia and Thailand.

He believes Thailand is one of the world’s top tourism destinations and has been recognised by international agencies throughout the tourism industry. In terms of tourism revenue, it will be on top in Asean.