Single tourist visa to travel to Myanmar and Indochina
Ho Chi Minh City
(AsiaNews / Agencies) - Joint cooperation in the tourism sector and a plan to
boost its growth in 2013-2015 by facilitating international and domestic travel
with a visa reform. This
is the initiative launched by Hanoi, Phnom Penh and Vientiane Naypyidaw, in a
recent conference attended by tourism ministers of the Association of
South-East Asia. Within
the next three years Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV) will strengthen
cooperation to attract a total of 25 million people from all over the world,
with at least four million "interchangeable visitors" who will cross the
borders between the various countries.
A
conference held in Ho Chi Minh City was led by Hoang Tuan Anh, Vietnamese
Minister of Culture, Sport and Tourism and attended by Bosengkham Vonhdara, Lao
Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Thong Khon, Cambodian Minister of
Tourism and Thet Oo, Ambassador Burmese
in Vietnam. The
focus of the meeting was a review of the implementation of the Joint
Ministerial Decree of 2010 on cooperation in the tourism sector in the four
countries (CLMV Tourism Co-operation).
In
a joint statement, the ministers stressed the recently recorded "massive
growth" in tourism, despite the global economic crisis and other problems
that plague the region for some time, including natural disasters and
ethnic-religious conflicts. The
Vietnamese delegate said that "last year, CLMV has welcomed over 12.3
million visitors, an increase of 14.5% compared to 2010." And
the exchange of visitors between the four countries, Tuan Anh adds, "has
reached 2.1 million," or "17% of total foreign visitors."
The
plan signed by the three governments will cover the period 2013-2015 and
provides enhanced exchange of information, development of products and
initiatives for high quality tourism in the Indo-Chinese region and joint
efforts to attract "more investment" in the industry. Added
to this is the cooperation with third parties, including foreign nations and
international organizations. The
philosophy behind the project is to issue a single tourist visa for the five
countries of the lower Mekong. Thailand already
has tourism agreements with Cambodia.
The
ministers further emphasized the importance of closer cooperation with
international entities already launched by ASEAN, an association that brings
together 10 nations of Southeast Asia, including ASEAN-Japan and ASEAN-South
Korea in the context of interest shown by the Asian Development Bank (ADB),
which has invested capital for the construction of infrastructure, public
services, human resources and eco-friendly projects.
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