The official beginning of the One ASEAN
Community is almost here – we are only
a few months away – yet so much still
remains to be done to establish true regional
integration. In the case of travel in the region,
discussions have been held and some actions
made, but we are far from achieving our goals
of facilitating travel in the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) region.
We need concrete actions. For one, we
need to work on easing access to and within
ASEAN. Tourism has been identified as a key
revenue generator by every ASEAN country,
yet the entry rules at most of our borders seem
to suggest otherwise. If we want more tourists
from outside the region to come and spend
their money in ASEAN and thereby contribute
to the growth of our economy, doesn’t it follow
that we should ease access for them?
We have to make ASEAN more welcoming
for tourists, and perhaps the introduction
of a common ASEAN visa, similar to Europe’s
Schengen visa, is a solution. This should
include the building of an electronic visa
system for all ASEAN countries for seamless
border control. There is also a need to set up
dedicated ASEAN immigration lanes at all
international airports of member countries.
While there have been early movers in this
– the airports of Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur,
for example – we need all other international
airports in the region to follow suit.
The ASEAN brand
We also need to take concrete steps to build
the ASEAN brand. What does it stand for, and
what is our unique selling point? Branding
is central to attracting tourists, and we need to find ways to build a positive brand for
the region. Relatedly, it is imperative that
we raise awareness about the region. Perhaps
we can start by ensuring that the ASEAN
flag is displayed alongside the national flags
at the embassies of ASEAN countries and
in schools across the region. Or through
cultural exchanges and intra-ASEAN internship
programs that provide students and
graduates regional work experience.
We must ensure that we raise awareness
about ASEAN and the progress of integration
through regionally-coordinated campaigns
on multiple channels and through
traditional and social media so that our
message gets across to young people, households
and businesses and perhaps spurs
them into action.
Such plans would be difficult to implement
if the very institutions tasked to oversee
implementation are weak. The governments
of ASEAN as well as the private sector
need to support the strengthening of these
ASEAN institutions through the creation of
commissions, or working groups, of businesses
that are committed to regional development
– tourism included – and focus on
issues and solutions. We need to strengthen
the ASEAN Secretariat through increased
funding that would allow it to, among others,
attract the sharpest minds in the region
and add to its currently overstretched staff.
To truly facilitate travel in ASEAN,
all stakeholders in the region need to work
together, to discuss and share views on how
best to push forward the improvements that
are so desperately needed. We need to start
now.