ASEAN as a Single Destination

(10/27/2003)

Ms. Elly Hutabarat, Vice-President of the ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA) and the Chair of the Inter-ASEAN Travel Committee, used the occasion of the Annual General Meeting of the Bali and Nusa Tenggara Chapter of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) to outline efforts now underway to promote travel to ASEAN and between ASEAN member countries.

In mid-2003, as a response to the the SARS panic and the conflict in Iraq, ASEANTA launched special ASEAN Hip-Hop Fares permitting travelers prepared to visit 3 separate destinations within the 10 country ASEAN region a very low fare of US$ 99 per air sector. Simultaneously, a program of special hotel rates, ASEAN Hotel Pass, was launched offering reduced rates of between US$ 35-70 a night for hotels within the ASEAN region for travelers using the ASEAN Hip-Hop Air fares.

These special travel incentives within the ASEAN region end in October 2003. According to Ms. Hutabarat, a new, yet-to-be-named program, will be introduced in April of 2004 that will again offer special air and hotel rates to people making multiple stops within the ASEAN region. The new program will include 2^nd tier airlines and a proven international distribution system in order to create increased sale levels.

Less Barriers to Travel Within the Region

ASEANTA is dedicated to promoting ASEAN as a single tourism destination. Within this context, the group is lobbying intensively for a single-visa policy for all 10 members of the ASEAN association, similar to the visa policies now in place in the European Union. The Group is also seeking to reduce or eliminate travel taxes currently imposed on travelers within the region.