I

ndustry players attending the ASEAN Tourism Forum Travel Exchange (ATF Travex) at the Golden Kawanua hotel in Manado, North Sulawesi, are lauding a campaign to promote the region as a single tourism destination.

Bintan Resorts marketing director Asad Shiraz said that enhanced tourism collaboration among ASEAN member nations would benefit the tourism business, as the region offered various attractions and experiences for visitors.

“ASEAN as a single destination for tourists doesn’t mean that people have to go to all ten [member] nations. Just combining two or three countries will make their holiday more interesting,” Shiraz said on Thursday in Manado.

The collaboration would also help neighboring countries attract more tourists to their places, he added.

“Access for international travelers to Bintan is difficult, but they can fly to Singapore and connect to Bintan. Many people going to Singapore can spend two or three days in Singapore to experience the city and [then] go to Bintan, see...Indonesia and get a totally different experience altogether,” he said.

Shiraz said he also expected to work with tourism businesses from Indonesia and other ASEAN member nations to strengthen the industry in the region.

“The region is a promising market, as it has not been greatly affected by the economic slowdown,” he said.

A conference organizer from Ukraine, Roman Davydov, said that the ASEAN region would be an interesting destination for his clients, as most Ukrainians had already been to most of Europe’s most popular destinations.

“They like to experience something new. Thailand and Singapore are very popular in Ukraine because there are direct flights to the countries. This year Vietnam will become another interesting destination, as we have opened a direct flight from Kiev to Ho Chi Minh City,” he said.

“If the access to get [to Manado] is easy, it will be more interesting,” Davydov added.

Greek tour operator Panos Kouros said that he was looking for affordable tour packages to offer his clients, from honeymoons to free travel packages, as well as looking for incentive travel destinations.

“Outbound tourists in Greece have dropped by 35 percent in 2011 compared to 2010 and we lost half of our middle class over the past two years. It is very difficult to sell,” he said.

“I will see how the [Greek] market responds to the idea of the region as a single tourist destination. But I think it’s a good thing if these countries collaborate,” Kouros added.

The ASEAN region attracted more than 79 million visitors last year, posting a 7.4 percent growth. Intra-ASEAN travel maintained its position as providing the major share of tourists by region, comprising 43 percent of international arrivals.

Some 1,600 buyers and sellers in the tourism industry from across the globe are participating at this year’s ATF Travex, which takes place from Friday to Sunday.

North Sulawesi Governor Sinyo H. Sarundajang predicted that the transactions made during the three-day event would reach into the trillions of rupiah. (swd)