ASEAN Tourism Ministers Meeting (M-ATM)

As one of priority sectors for ASEAN integration, the ASEAN tourism performance in 2008 continued with positive growth, despite of challenges posed by the global financial crisis in 2008 and political situations in some ASEAN Member States. ASEAN attracted more than 65 million tourists by the end of 2008 with year-on-year increase of more than 5.1 % compared to 2007 and received more than 59 billion USD.

Figure 1: Total International Visitor Arrivals to ASEAN (1991-2008)

The ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) continued to be the landmark of annual tourism event in the region. The ATF 2009 was held in Hanoi, Viet Nam, on 5-12 January 2009 with the theme: “ASEAN Tourism – Striving for a New Height”, attended by more than 466 foreign tourism companies as buyers and more than 590 sellers in ASEAN.

In anticipating the global economic slowdown in 2009, the ASEAN Tourism Ministers, at their 12th Meeting held on 8 January 2009 agreed to focus on Intra-ASEAN travel and declare that 2009/10 as the Youth Travellers’ Year.The Ministers also reaffirmed their commitment to accelerate the integration process and endorsed the initiative of the ASEAN NTOs to formulate the ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan 2011-2015 as the successor of the Roadmap for Integration of Tourism Sector (RITS) 2004-2010.

The ASEAN joint tourism promotion for 2008 in major markets is conducted by the ASEAN Tourism Promotional Chapter (APCT) in Sydney, Seoul and Shanghai through production of promotional material and participation in international tourism events in their respective source markets.

ASEAN adopted a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) that will increase the equality of tourism human resource and will facilitate the mobility of tourism professionals within the region using the ASEAN Minimum Competency Standards for Tourism as the basis. MRA will enhance regional confidence in tourism training outcomes and qualifications which will stimulate intra-regional investment and flow of human resources in the sector.

The ASEAN Member States adopted the standardization of tourism services covering Green Hotel; Food and Beverage Services; Public Restroom; Home Stay; Ecotourism and Tourism Heritage. The First ASEAN Green Hotel Award to hotels was heldin  January 2008.

The Third ASEAN Tourism Investment Forum (ATIF) was held on 6-9 July 2008 in Manila. The next ATIF will be convened in 2010 to promote the establishment of the ASEAN Tourism Investment Corridor Development.