11/02/12, 22:16:59 EST

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Intra-Asean tourism to double

bangkokpost.com

The number of intra-Asean tourists is expected to double to as many as 60 million a year when all 10 members of the group make visa-free travel fully available by 2010, according to the Tourism and Sports Ministry.

Asean members have set 2010 as the deadline for allowing nationals of all 10 countries to travel without visas in the region. They aim to follow that with a single pan-Asean visa for visitors from other parts of the world.


Currently, Thai citizens do not need visas for travelling to other Asean countries, with the exception of Burma and Cambodia.


Asean is also moving to liberalise the services trade in the tourism industry, according to Sasithara Pichaichannarong, the ministry's permanent secretary. Member countries want to free up labour movement in six sectors including reception, housekeeping, food and beverage, transport and tour operators.


Ms Sasithara said the ministry also needed to establish a national tourism institute to improve personnel skills.


Improved land transport would encourage more intra-Asean travel, she said. Work is proceeding on road links including a northern route from southern China, through Laos via Thailand and Malaysia, and an east-west corridor from Burma via Thailand and Laos to Vietnam.


Visitors from Asean to Thailand last year totalled 7.9 million, up 18.7% from the year before.


The national tourism committee this week also approved a tourism development strategy for 2007-11, and the restructuring of five sub-committees on marketing, human resources, community development, infrastructure and tourism products.

 Printable Version  | published Oct 10, 2007