(TITC) - Within the framework of the ASEAN Tourism Forum - ATF 2023 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on 4th February, takes place the 10th Meeting of the ASEAN-India Tourism Ministers. From the Vietnamese side, Mr. Doan Van Viet, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MOCST) attended the meeting.
The Vietnamese delegation led by MOCST’s Deputy Minister Doan Van Viet to attend the meeting (Photo: TITC)
Thereby, a number of results regarding the cooperation works between ASEAN and India in the past years were reported and endorsed at the meeting. 2019 marks the Year of ASEAN-India Tourism Cooperation, a number of activities were operated: ASEAN-India Film Festival in Mumbai in August 2019; Introduction of ASEAN-India Tourism Cooperation Year at SATTE 2019 at India Expo Mart 2019 in New Delhi and International Travel Expo in ASEAN (in Vietnam, ITE-HCMC 2019); Organising India Tourism Introduction Programme in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia; Training course for ASEAN chefs in India; Organising a presstrip of India tourism for the press from ASEAN.
In 2022, Malaysia hosted the ASEAN-India Tourism Conference in Mumbai in October 2022. In the near future, it is expected that India will organise seminar on Tourism and Information Technology for ASEAN countries.
2022 also marks the 50th year of the establishment of diplomatic travel between India and Vietnam (1972-2022), the two countries have operated several remarkable activities in the fields of culture and tourism.
There were about 1.34 million Indian visitor arrivals to ASEAN in 2022. Delegates at the meeting honoured the great efforts of the both sides regarding the strategic and swift response in handling the crisis in all aspects. Measures from both sides to mitigate the impact of the pandemic have been put in place since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020. Policymakers from both ASEAN and India have joined the table with relevant partners to ensure the well recovery of the tourism industry post the pandemic.
The Meeting emphasised the need to continue supporting tourism micro-small-medium enterprises (MSMEs) and to promote equal opportunities to enhance jobs for local communities, as stated in the Phnom Penh Declaration on Transforming ASEAN Tourism, which was adopted by the ASEAN Leaders during the ASEAN Summit in November 2022.
On tourism marketing activities, the Meeting reiterated its support for the activities under the ASEAN-India Promotional Chapter for Tourism (APCT), with the aim to raise awareness of ASEAN destinations within the Indian Market. Identified activities include widening the reach of the new ASEAN Tourism Logo and Brand, "A Destination for Every Dream", which embodies the concept of diversity and possibilities of travel in the region while showcasing the many beautiful experiences they could enjoy in each of the ASEAN Member States, and highlighting the changes the region is making toward sustainable tourism.
To further strengthen the ASEAN-India cooperation in tourism, the Meeting endorsed the ASEAN-India Tourism Work Plan 2023-2027, which covers 17 activities for the next 5 years to support the implementation of the ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan (ATSP) 2016-2025, the ASEAN Tourism Marketing Strategy (ATMS) 2021-2025, the Post-COVID-19 Recovery Plan for ASEAN Tourism, the ASEAN Framework on Sustainable Tourism Development, and the Phnom Penh Declaration on Transforming ASEAN Tourism.
The Meeting acknowledged several areas of ASEAN strategic priorities for 2023 under the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), such as circular economy and decarbonisation, digitalisation, and ecotourism. Moving forward, ASEAN-India National Tourism Organisations are encouraged to identify areas of cooperation for future collaboration between the respective countries while taking into consideration the identified priorities.
Leaders attending the 10th M-ATM India (Photo: TITC)
Speaking at the meeting, MOCST’s Deputy Minister Doan Van Viet emphasised that India is a crucial source market for the ASEAN tourism industry with its large population, growing middle class and high travel demand. In the period 2015-2019 before the pandemic, Indian visitors to Vietnam grew by an average of 27% per year. After the restoration of tourism, in 2022 Indian visitors to Vietnam recovered 81% compared to 2019, which is one of the strongest recovery markets.
According to MOCST’s Deputy Minister Doan Van Viet, this remarkable result came from the close cooperation between the tourism and aviation industries in an effort to enhance connectivity and facilitate travel for visitors. Vietnam's airlines have operated many new routes connecting 4 Vietnamese metrocities to six major Indian cities since 2019. In December 2022, MOCST organised the Vietnam Day in India celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, aiming to strengthen the promotion of the image of the country, people, culture and tourism of Vietnam in India.
Remarkably, tourism cooperation activities between ASEAN - India have received the attention of the two sides over the past time, a number of promotional activities have been carried out through the ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA) in India, training workshops were also planned and organised, initially achieving positive results. However, given the potential and importance of the Indian market for ASEAN tourism, MOCST’s Deputy Minister Doan Van Viet indicated that there are many opportunities and space to promote further. With seven main groups of tasks that are practical and suitable to the needs of the two sides as agreed in the ASEAN-India Tourism Work Plan 2023-2027, Vietnam will coordinate with member countries to jointly to restore visitor exchange growth and further facilitate the Indian tourist experience, said MOCST’s Deputy Minister Doan Van Viet.
The ASEAN-India Tourism Work Plan 2023-2027 includes 7 tasks: (1) Sharing of best practices for the development of responsible and/or sustainable tourism; (2) Sharing resources and facilities to provide mutual assistance in tourism education and training for quality tourism development; (3) Crisis communications to protect the reputation and credibility of the relevant tourism organisations and/or tourist destinations, particularly through the establishment of the ASEAN-India Crisis Communications Team; (4) Exchange information pertaining to statistics and development strategies, investment opportunities and economic data; (5) Develop Quality Tourism and Standard; (6) Transport connectivity related to ASEAN-India trade and tourism; (7) Promotion and publicity.
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