MANILA, Jan. 22 (PNA) — The new tourism campaign for ASEAN, ‘ASEAN for ASEAN’ was revealed Friday with the common goal to promote travel within the region but at the same time featuring nine different themes.
Under the campaign, each ASEAN member national tourism organization (NTO) has taken on a specific theme to fan integral regional tourism through 2016 and generate awareness of the ASEAN tourism brand.
Tourism in Brunei Darussalam will focus on ASEAN community-based tourism, Cambodia and Myanmar share the same focus to promote ASEAN culture and heritage and Indonesia will endorse ASEAN spa and wellness.
LAO PDR will push for ASEAN nature-based tourism, Singapore will take cruise tourism on center stage particularly the infrastructure and itinerary development in the region and Vietnam takes on river-based tourism by marketing .
Meanwhile Malaysia will promote ASEAN adventure travel, Thailand will highlight experiential and creative travel and Philippines will promote MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) tourism by organizing international events.
ASEAN Tourism Marketing and Communication Working Group Chairman Zulzalani Osman said that despite many ASEAN people being familiar with their neighboring countries, there was much more to learn about each other.
“We’d like the people of ASEAN to be fully aware, appreciative and proud of the great diversity of tourism assets in the ASEAN member states.” Osman said in a statement.
Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) deputy director general of marketing department Le Tuan Anh in a media briefing echoed Osman noting that every single person belonging to the region should act as tourism ‘ambassadors’.
“We should focus on raising understanding and awareness of ASEAN as a single destination from and within ASEAN so that every single person in ASEAN can as an ambassador to promote the market,” he said.
“Second, we should improve the connectivity within ASEAN in land, sea and air,” the deputy director general added.
ASEAN cruise tourism team lead coordinator Michelle Chan for her part emphasized how cruise is an excellent vehicle that can contribute towards the ASEAN for ASEAN campaign.
“The unique selling point of cruise is that visitors can wake up to another destination each and every day,” Chan said.
“(We can) harness growth potential of cruise tourism through the development of new cruise infrastructure and itineraries. Through joint efforts I believe 2016 will be a fruitful year for ASEAN,” she added.
Later the same day, ASEAN member nations also unveiled the Cruise Southeast Asia brand which is aimed at strengthening the appeal of Southeast Asia as a cruising region of choice.
The brand shape is inspired by the waves of sea while the interwoven weave design symbolizes the intertwined relations shared by ASEAN member states. Its array of colors stand for the vibrant diversity of culture and heritage in the region and finally, the warm colors represent the friendliness and warm hospitality of its people. (Philippine News Agency)
