Tourism is a key engine to drive economic growth, not just in Thailand but in neighbouring Asean countries as well.
Statistics from the World Travel and Tourism Council show that tourism contributes more than 12% of the total GDP of Asean, whose 10 member nations have pledged strong cooperation to make the region more attractive as a destination.
That vow came at a ministerial meeting of regional tourism officials held in Chiang Mai last month. At the Asean Tourism Forum, officials adopted the declaration in the important areas of cruise tourism, gastronomy tourism, tourism investment and tourism for all.
Officials also resolved to focus on development of tourism infrastructure and connectivity via rail, land transport and aviation. Furthermore, they agreed on joint marketing strategies, personnel development and standardisation to encourage expertise sharing within the region.
"The forum ended up with impressive and concrete moves forward to meet a common goal for the entire Southeast Asia region," said Weerasak Kowsurat, who chaired the ministerial meeting in his capacity as tourism and sports minister.
Asean launched a regional tourism campaign, Visit Asean@50, in 2017, a year that saw 126 million international arrivals against a target of 121 million. Thailand alone received more than 35 million, and tourism contributed more than 20% of Thai GDP.
Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat says the forum was impressive.
Intra-Asean travel accounted for 42% of total international arrivals in 2017. The average length of stay was 7.98 days, and the 10 countries were estimated to have generated US$93 billion (2.92 trillion baht) from tourism.
The World Travel and Tourism Council expects the number of people employed in the tourism industry to surpass 80 million in Asean by 2026.
Call for inclusiveness
To ensure that tourism continues to grow, Asean's tourism ministers vowed to focus on new criteria such as accessibility, particularly as ageing societies are emerging in many countries.
The ministers encouraged members to invest in tourism infrastructure to provide better accessibility to people with disabilities, senior citizens, women and children.
The investments could involve the private sector, with incentive schemes for investors and service providers and revisions of rules and regulations to promote private investment in the expansion and improvement of infrastructure, facilities and services.
In order to maintain the momentum of growth from the Visit Asean@50 campaign, the ministers have pursued marketing partnerships with the private sector throughout the region and globally.
A key development for regional transport was last year's signing of the Asean Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross Border Transport of Passengers by Road Vehicles. The pact promotes overland travel among members, especially in areas that rely on buses and coaches.
Moreover, tourism ministers have been urged to promote cruise business, improve shipbuilding capacity and ease regulations to help make the region a hub for marine tourism. The role of gastronomy is another key element in developing a competitive destination brand.
In the field of human resources, the Mutual Recognition Agreement-Tourism Professionals (MRA-TP) will be discussed in June in Cambodia. The talks will seek to raise awareness of the benefits of the MRA-TP, enhance tourism professionalism and promote quality tourism service.
Many tourists in Bangkok visit the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. KITJA APICHONROJAREK
Nations making moves
Countries in Southeast Asia have outlined tourism plans and strategies for 2018 with a range of events, marketing campaigns and product updates, each nation touting its own unique offerings.
Indonesia launched Visit Wonderful Indonesia (Viwi), a year-long celebration of 3A elements (attractions, amenities, accessibility), hot deals, packages, colourful festivals and digital destinations. More than 200 events are taking place nationwide in the fields of culture, arts and entertainment, business, sports, education and science.
Myanmar is forecasting 7.2 million annual visitors by 2020, nearly double the 3.14 million arrivals in 2017, thanks to growing international aviation links and land connectivity, plus new destinations and hotels.
Myanmar is spotlighting Bagan, one of eight sites the country proposed for Unesco World Heritage status. The country is also considering extending visa-free travel for Asean visitors from the current 14 days.
The Philippines has launched a number of strategic campaigns and travel events, including the Bring Home a Friend programme, Madrid Fusion Manila, the World Street Food Congress and Dive Fiesta Philippines. The island nation is expanding air connectivity to various beach destinations such as Boracay, Palawan and Cebu.
Booths offered tourism products and services at the Asean Tourism Forum.
Laos is set to feature dozens of activities and events. The landlocked country is boosting cross-border linkage with five neighbouring countries, including China. It also has a visa exemption for 25 countries. Of the 27 international checkpoints, 25 offer visa-on-arrival facilities.
Malaysia is about to host the Pata Travel Mart 2018 in Langkawi, while the fifth UNWTO World Tourism Conference will take place in 2019. 2020 has been designated as the "Visit Malaysia" year. The country will be the destination partner of the European Travel Agents and Tour Operators Association Conference in 2018 and ITB Berlin in 2019.
Singapore earlier launched a campaign slogan, "Passion Made Possible". The Singapore Tourism Board became the first national tourism organisation in Southeast Asia to partner with Walt Disney.
Vietnam will play host to the next Asean Tourism Forum next January at Halong Bay. E-visa privileges for citizens of 46 countries and a visa exemption for 22 countries helped Vietnam hit 13 million international visitors in 2017, up 30% year-on-year.
Brunei plans to double the number of tourist arrivals by air from 218,000 in 2015 to 450,000 by 2020. The strategy is to market natural and cultural attractions and develop new ones such as bird watching, diving, summer school, kite festivals and fruit festivals.
Cambodia will host its next Travel Mart in October in the capital, Phnom Penh. The venue is the Diamond Island Convention and Exhibition Centre, the centrepiece of a strategy to help Cambodia attract more meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (Mice) business, and enhance the attraction of iconic cultural destinations like Angkor Wat.
Shwedagon Pagoda is a famous landmark in Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city. WISIT THAMNGERN
Operator optimism
Representatives of hotels, travel operators and businesses involved in tourism, both buyers and sellers, expressed optimism about the Thai tourism industry while attending the Asean Tourism Forum, saying the country is a dynamic state that has captivated foreign tourists for many decades. They said the country has potential to grow further.
"Thailand is popular not only for tourists, but also for business travellers," a buyer from Europe said. "The country is also strong in repeat visitors."
Representatives from Destination Asia Thailand and Diethelm Travel pointed to demand from inbound markets for experienced-based tours highlighting local cuisine, tuk-tuk rides, ethical tourism and deluxe itineraries for the free individual traveller. They said most customers are repeat visitors or millennials looking for unique experiences who shy away from mass tourism.
JW Marriott Phuket was surprised to see so many US representatives, including specialists that arrange destination weddings, coming to its booth. There was a great mix overall from Europe, North America and Asia, hotel officials said.
A representative of Diethelm Travel Group remarked that clients were turning their attention to experience-based tours in central and northern Thailand, rather than just heading straight to the beach.
Diethelm Travel was the first Thai operator to offer self-driving tuk-tuk tours around northern Thailand last July, putting travellers in the driver's seat of a three-wheeler to explore the region.
