After the ASEAN Tourism Ministers endorsed the ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan (ATSP) on 17 January 2011 during the ATF 2011 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the first meetings of ASEAN Tourism Working Groups/Committees Meetings was held in Grand Plaza Hotel, Ha Noi, Viet Nam on 5 " 9 April 2011. The meetings were attended by the representatives of the ten ASEAN member states, ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA) as well as ASEAN Secretariat.
The working group/committee meetings discussed on the proposed programs or projects for the next five years, and agreed to appoint the country coordinator for each program/project. In line with this, Indonesia has been appointed as the country coordinator for (1) the Market Research Group (MRG), (2) the development of ASEAN Security and Safety Guidelines, (3) the program of ATRM on Tourism Heritage, and (4) the development of Cultural and Heritage Tourism Product.
Follow-up actions of the last task force meetings were also discussed and the meetings agreed to undertake the program of ASEAN for ASEAN in order to encourage nationals of ASEAN to visit other ASEAN member states, and also conduct capacity building for the ASEAN tourism professionals through training in language and professionals services.
Indonesia headed by Mr. I Gusti Putu Laksaguna, Senior Advisor to the Minister of Culture and Tourism, shared experience on Community Based Tourism Development Program through Village Tourism in Indonesia. In addition, Indonesia as a country coordinator of the development of ASEAN Security and Safety Guidelines also presented paper on this subject, which will be funded by UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office " Counter Terrorism Department amounted of 30,000 pound sterling.
For effective and timely implementation of ATSP 2011 " 2015, the meeting also agreed to coordinate and 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), UNESCO, ADB etc.
The meeting welcomed the draft of the MOU on ASEAN Plus Three Tourism Cooperation prepared by Indonesia. The MOU is expected to be signed during the ATF 2012 in Manado, Indonesia.
All proposed programs resulted during the meeting will be tabled at the next ASEAN NTOs meeting in Lao PDR in June 2011 for further discussion and endorsement.
Ha Noi, Viet Nam, 8 April 2011
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