Asean to hit 10% of global tourism by 2030
Thailand
is well positioned to benefit from projections of rising tourist arrivals in
Southeast Asia, say tourism experts speaking yesterday at the World Economic
Forum.
Southeast
Asia is projected to see its share of global tourism rise to at least 10%
within the next 20 years from 7.4% now thanks to ongoing efforts by Asean
members to promote the region as a joint destination.
Thailand
is among the few destinations in the world that has enjoyed a tourism surplus
over the past decades, along with Spain, the United States and Macau, said
Marcio Favilla Lucca de Paula, executive director for competitiveness for the
UN World Tourism Organisation.
"Your
country has it all to attract foreign tourists ... natural and cultural
attractions. And the nature of the Thai people is very welcoming to
international tourists," he said.
As of
last year, Asean accounted for 7.4% of the 982 million people who travelled
worldwide. The region's share is projected to rise to 10.3% by 2030, with
anticipated arrivals of 187 million.
Thailand
ranks second after Malaysia in terms of international arrivals within Asean,
although the Malaysian figure is highly inflated by Singaporean day-trippers.
Singapore ranks third.
But in
terms of tourist spending, Thailand ranks highest at US$26.3 billion per year,
followed by Malaysia at $18.3 billion and Singapore at $18 billion.
"Thailand
went through all kinds of crises, from politics to natural disasters like
floods over recent years. But tourism has recovered quickly," said Mr
Favilla Lucca de Paula.
Overall,
Asean has several factors to drive the travel and tourism sector including a
dynamic economy with social development, a growing middle class, improving
connectivity and a wide array of tourism products from basic to luxurious, he
said.
Other
panellists at the forum agreed that Asean had strong potential to expand the
market further.
Mari
Elka Pangestu, the Indonesian tourism and creative economy minister, said Asean
tourism ministers are working on a proposal to develop an Asean common visa for
non-Asean tourists to travel within the region.
Modelled
on the Schengen visa in Europe, the proposal is expected to be submitted to
Asean leaders next year. An open-sky policy within Asean will also come into
effect in 2014.
Last
year, 82 million people travelled in Asean, half of whom made intra-regional
trips. For Indonesia, tourism accounted for 9% of gross domestic product, said
Ms Pangestu.
"We
have tried to involve as many communities as possible around tourism sites in
development to yield benefits and build awareness among youth and the
children," she said, adding the sector also created low- to high-skill job
opportunities, from cleaners to aircraft pilots.
At the
same time, potential risks have emerged such as sex tourism, and these require
close monitoring by both the government and communities.
Sex
tourism in Indonesia is a crime subject to heavy punishment.
"We
need to make the people aware about unusual behaviours. Neighbourhood watches
are also helpful," said Ms Pangestu.
Sebastien
Marot, executive director of the social entrepreneur group
Friends-International in Cambodia, said while tourism could offer tremendous
benefits in terms of training and language skills, it was important to mitigate
the risks in the sector, especially on children.
In
Cambodia, the sector has developed very rapidly, causing negative impacts on
tourism sites such as temples as well as on children, he said.
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