Joint Media Statement of the Fourteenth Meeting of ASEAN Tourism

Ministers (14th M-ATM) Phnom Penh, 17 January 2011

1. The Fourteenth Meeting of ASEAN Tourism Ministers (14th M-ATM) was held on 17 January 2011 in

Phnom Penh, Cambodia in conjunction with the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2011 (ATF 2011). The Meeting

was preceded by the Thirty-Third Meeting of ASEAN National Organisations and other ASEAN NTOs

meetings with Dialogue Partners. The Meeting was chaired by H.E. Dr. Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism

of Cambodia, with H.E. Mr. Jero Wacik, Minister of Culture and Tourism of Indonesia, acting as Vice

Chairman.

2. The Ministers were pleased to note the positive arrivals growth of visitor arrivals into ASEAN.

Preliminary figures show that ASEAN attracted more than 65 million visitors last year, posting a healthy

12 per cent growth. Intra-ASEAN travel continued to be a major share of tourists, making up 45% of total

international arrivals.

ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan 2011-2015

3. The Ministers were pleased to note the completion of all projects and activities under the Roadmap for

Integration of Tourism Sector (RITS) which expired in 2010. Acknowledging the importance of tourism as

an economic engine and a tool for development and change in the region, the Ministers adopted the

ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan (ATSP) 2011-2015. This ATSP contributes to the overall goals of the

ASEAN Community by 2015 through promotion of growth, integration and competitiveness of the tourism

sector and at the same time deepen social and cultural understanding as well as facilitating travel into

and within ASEAN. The ATSP provides a balanced set of actions and activities to realise the following

vision:

By 2015, ASEAN will provide an increasing number of visitors to the region with authentic and diverse

products, enhanced connectivity, a safe and secure environment, increased quality of services, while at

the same time ensuring an increased quality of life and opportunities for residents through responsible

and sustainable tourism development by working effectively with a wide range of stakeholders.

4. The Ministers emphasized the need for effective and on-schedule implementation of ATSP 2011-2015.

The Ministers requested ASEAN NTOs to coordinate and oversee the implementation of ATSP and to

report the progress of its implementation on a regular basis. The ASEAN NTOs shall also work closely
with relevant ASEAN bodies, including ASEAN Senior Transport Officials Meeting (STOM) and ASEAN

Directors-General of Immigration Departments and Heads of Consular Affairs Divisions of the Ministries of

Foreign Affairs (DGICM), on the measures to facilitate travel in the region.

5. The Ministers expressed their appreciation to the Government of the United States for the technical

assistance provided through the USAID, UNWTO and PATA for contributing their expertise in developing

ATSP 2011-2015.

Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity

6. The Ministers welcomed the endorsement of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) by the

ASEAN Leaders at the 17th ASEAN Summit held on 28 October 2010 in Ha Noi, Viet Nam, which

encompasses physical, institutional and people-to-people connectivity with the objective of further

enhancing connectivity within ASEAN and promote the connectivity between ASEAN and the wider region

of East Asia in the long run. The endorsement of this Master Plan will certainly support the ASEAN

tourism development particularly through an extensive and reliable transportation network connecting

destinations, cities, and source markets.

7. In line with the strategies under the MPAC, the Ministers tasked their senior officials to provide support

to and coordinate with relevant ASEAN bodies in advancing tourism-related measures, including

facilitation of inter-state passenger land transportation, development of ASEAN Single Aviation Market,

enhancing border management capabilities, encouraging greater intra-ASEAN people mobility, and

promoting deeper intra ASEAN social and cultural understanding.

8. The Ministers were pleased to note the significant progress achieved by the ASEAN Transport

Ministers in further pursuing the ASEAN Open Skies Policy, particularly in concluding the ASEAN

Multilateral Agreement on the Full Liberalisation of Passenger Air Services (MAFLPAS) and its Protocols,

which will further expand the scope of the existing ASEAN Multilateral Agreement on Air Services (MAAS)

to include other ASEAN cities. The Ministers also welcomed the conclusion of the ASEAN-China Air

Transport Agreement as it will significantly enhance air accessibility between ASEAN Member States and

China, a major source market for ASEAN tourism. The Ministers looked forward to the early conclusions

of the ASEAN-India Air Services Agreement and the ASEAN-ROK Air Transport Agreement.

Enhancing Quality of ASEAN Tourism Professionals

9. The Ministers were pleased to acknowledge the convening of the First ASEAN Tourism Professional

Monitoring Committee (ATPMC) Meeting held on 29 June 2010 in Lombok, Indonesia, and the progress

achieved by ASEAN Member States in establishing the necessary requirements under the Mutual

Recognition Arrangement (MRA) on Tourism Professionals such as Tourism Professional Certification

Board (TPCB) and National Tourism Professional Board (NTPB). In further developing regional

infrastructure to support the implementation of MRA, the Ministers supported the recommendation of

senior officials to begin the development of comprehensive training materials for housekeeping division

due to its significant employment opportunities in the region.

10. In meeting the increasing Russian tourists, the Ministers noted the success of the Russian Language

Course for the ASEAN Tour Operators held on 6 July 3 August 2010 in Jakarta, preceded by a two-

month e-class learning held since February 2010. The Ministers thanked the Russian Government for its

technical assistance provided to ASEAN Member States in organising this training course.

11. The Ministers were pleased to note the outcomes of following events organised by the ASEAN

Tourism Resource and Management Development Networks (ATRM): the Workshop on Dominance,

Influence, Stability and Compliance (DISC) Personality Profiling for Tourism and Hospitality Leaders held

on 10-13 May 2010 in Langkawi, Malaysia; and the Workshop on Cultural Heritage Tourism held on 17-

19 June 2010 in Solo, Indonesia; and the Workshop on ASEAN Eco-Tourism held on 11-16 July 2010 in

Surat Thani, Thailand. The Ministers encouraged the respective country coordinators to sustain the

activities as collaborative work for enhancing capacities as well as for knowledge and information

exchange on tourism management and development in ASEAN.

ASEAN Tourism Marketing and Promotion

12. The Ministers took note of the ASEAN Youth Traveller Programmes through the holding of several

youth related events, among others, the ASEAN Youth Explorace 2010 held on 3-9 August 2010 in

Malaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; the 3rd ASEAN Jazz Festival

held on 15-16 October 2010 in Harbour Bay, Batam Island, Indonesia; the ASEAN Family Rally held on

11-15 November 2010 in Bangkok, Thailand; and the ASEAN Plus Three Youth Traveller Programme

held on 15-21 November 2010 in Bangkok, Thailand.

13. The Ministers acknowledged joint tourism promotional activities to create brand awareness and

promote ASEAN as a region carried out by the ASEAN Promotional Chapter for Tourism (APCT) in
Sydney in 2010 through participation in major tourism consumer shows in Australia. The Ministers

requested their senior officials to expedite the establishments of APCT in Mumbai and Dubai.

14. The Ministers supported the efforts of ASEAN NTOs to collaborate and collectively promote ASEAN

Cruise Tourism. The Ministers noted that the ASEAN Cruise Working Group will co-locate individual

country booths at major international cruise trade shows, starting with Cruise Shipping Miami 2011 from

14-17 March 2011 and Cruise Shipping Asia from 16-18 November 2011. The Ministers acknowledged

that Southeast Asia holds great potential for cruise tourism and the joint marketing efforts will strengthen

the regions share of mind among key decision makers in the cruise industry.

15. The Ministers supported the development of a new ASEAN tourism marketing strategy that would

review the implementation of the Visit ASEAN Campaign and existing ASEAN tourism marketing

activities, including the policy framework of the marketing strategy, market review, brand strategy, and

implementation and distribution strategy. The outcomes of this exercise are expected to strengthen and

renew activities of the Visit ASEAN Campaign activities in line with the ASEAN Tourism Agreement

signed by the ASEAN Leaders in 2002.

Tourism Investment Opportunities

16. The Ministers noted the outcomes of the Fourth ASEAN Tourism Investment Forum (ATIF) held on

29-30 September 2010 in Hoi Chi Minh City, Viet Nam, with the theme ASEAN Tourism Investment:

Challenges and Opportunities as the theme. This event has been successful in highlighting the tourism

investment potential, opportunities, and incentives, including promoting the new potential tourism

investment products in ASEAN Member States. The Ministers agreed to hold the Fifth ATIF in conjunction

with the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2012 in Indonesia.

Quality Tourism Improvement

17. In further enhancing ASEAN as a world-class tourism destination, the Ministers were pleased to note

the progress of the reviewing process of the ASEAN Green Hotel Standards, including the review of the

criteria and requirements and the activities to identify its performance indicators and certification process.

In line with the ATSP, the Ministers requested their senior officials to develop the ASEAN comprehensive

tourism standards with certification process for green hotel, homestay, public toilet, spa service as well as

ASEAN tourism security and safety guidelines.

18. In line with the directive of the Leaders to further strengthen ASEAN cooperation to effectively

respond to climate change, especially on mitigation, adaptation and capacity building in areas of mutual

interests such as sustainable development, environmental protection and water resource management,

the Ministers agreed on the need for ASEAN tourism to develop its strategic actions to enhance the ability

of this sector to address the climate change issue. The Ministers were pleased to note the outcomes of

the Workshop on Developing the Framework of ASEAN Tourism Standards in Responding to the Climate

Change held on 5-7 October 2010 in Bali and the inclusion of the recommendations into the ATSP. The

Ministers requested their senior officials to prepare a work plan on ASEAN tourism activities to contribute

to climate change reduction initiatives. The Ministers thanked the Government of New Zealand through

NZAID for the technical assistance to ASEAN in conducting this workshop.

19. The Ministers were pleased to note the successful completion of the ASEAN Crisis Communication

Team Work plan 2010. Following through with the previous years activities that sought to build up

communications competencies with ASEAN, ACCT successfully conducted sharing workshop lead by

industry professionals on how to manage crisis communications through social networking sites and post-

crisis communication recovery strategies.

ASEAN with Dialogue Partners

20. In commemorating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the ASEAN Promotion Centre on

Trade, Investment and Tourism (ASEAN-Japan Centre), the Ministers expressed appreciation to the

ASEAN-Japan Centre for its efforts in providing continuous support and technical assistance to the

development of ASEAN tourism sector, including enhancing tourism stakeholders capacity to better cater

to Japanese tourists, promoting ASEAN tourism to Japanese market and strengthening product

development.

21. The Ministers also thanked the ASEAN-Korean Centre for its activities in providing its support in

promoting ASEAN tourism in Korea through tourism fairs, publication lecture series and capacity building

for ASEAN tourism stakeholders.

22. The Ministers supported the initiative to work with the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the

golf (GCC) to implement tourism measures under the ASEAN-GCC Plan of Action (2010-2012).

ASEAN Tourism Forum 2011

23. The Ministers noted that the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) held on 15-21 January 2011 in Phnom

Penh with the theme: ASEAN- a World of Wonders and Diversity was attended by more than 442

international buyers and more than 380 sellers with 512 booths in ASEAN. The Ministers acknowledged

the partnership with CNN International as the Official International Cable and Satellite Media Partner for

ATF 2011.

24. The Ministers noted that ATF 2012 will be convened in Manado, Indonesia on 9-15 January 2012 with

ASEAN Tourism for a Global Community of Nations as the theme. Lao PDR confirmed to be the host of

ATF 2013.

25. The Ministers expressed their sincere appreciation to the Government and People of Cambodia for

the warm hospitality accorded to the delegations and the excellent arrangements made for the Meeting.

LIST OF MINISTERS

The Meeting was attended by:

(i) H.E. Pehin Dato Yahya, Minister of Industry and Primary Resources, Brunei Darussalam;

(ii) H.E. Dr. Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism, Cambodia;

(iii) H.E. Mr. Jero Wacik, Minister of Culture and Tourism, Indonesia;

(iv) H.E. Mr. Somphong Mongkhonvilay, Minister, Chairman of Lao National Tourism Administration, Lao

PDR;

(v) H.E. Dato Dr. James Dawos Mamit, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Malaysia;

(vi) H.E. Mr. Soe Naing, Minister, Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, Myanmar;

(vii) H.E. Mr. Alberto A. Lim, Secretary of Tourism, Philippines;

(viii) H.E. Mr. S. Iswaran, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry, Singapore;

(ix) H.E. Mr. Chumpol Silapa-archa, Minister of Tourism and Sports, Thailand;

(x) H.E. Mr. Ho Anh Tuan, Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Viet Nam; and

(xi) H.E. Mr. Sundram Pushpanathan, Deputy Secretary-General for ASEAN Economic Community,

ASEAN Secretariat.