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Published on : Monday, February 8, 2021
Before the end of the second quarter, the tourism sector of Southeast Asia is in immediate need of a kickstart to avoid further disintegration, as per the ASEAN Tourism Association that represents private tourism sector organizations in 10-country regions of the world.
The association put forward proposals to revive tourism 4 February in the 24th virtual meeting of ASEAN Tourism Ministers, arranged from Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
“We express our deepest concern on the severe impact of Covid-19 on the travel and tourism industries. It poses a real threat to the lives and livelihoods of people,” ASEANTA directors told the Tourism Ministers.
The travel and tourism sector in 2019 contributed almost USD380 billion or 12.1% to the ASEAN GDP. It created around 42.3 million jobs or 13.3% of total ASEAN employment. Over 70% of those jobs in tourism will get lost if the international borders remain closed for a longer time, cautioned the association. It also emphasized the fact that prior bookings remain weak in spite of the rollout of vaccines. This indicates that only a minimal improvement has happened until November 2021.
ASEANTA said: “Taking into the prolonged situation of the pandemic and the likelihood that the recovery process from Covid-19 may take longer than the earlier expectations, we agree on the following recommendations for consideration by the respective governments of ASEAN Member states.”
Timetable
Phase 1: Initiate immediate support of the government in a fair and equitable manner to make sure that the industry survives (Q1 2021).
Phase 2: Arranging for border reopening by laying down frameworks for cross-border travel, SOPs for the entire ecosystem of tourism along with guidelines on testing & vaccination (Q1 2021).
Phase 3: Continuation of facilitate of all types of travel (business, leisure & VFR travel) following the ASEAN Travel Corridor framework (Q2 2021).
ASEANTA proposals
• The proposed ASEAN Travel Corridor Arrangement should make business as well as leisure/visiting friends & relatives (VFR) travel easy.
• Pre-departure and arrival testing must be introduced on an immediate basis.
• Decrease quarantine phase to just one or two days (until PCR test on arrival results are released).
• Controlled itinerary or business travelers permitted to travel purposes after as long as sponsored by a company.
• No quarantine for returning business travelers.