JOINT PRESS STATEMENT

1.         The Fifth Meeting of ASEAN Tourism Ministers (M-ATM) was held on 24 January 2002 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The Fifth M-ATM was preceded by the Fifteenth Meeting of the ASEAN National Tourism Organizations (NTOs) held on 23 January 2002. Both Meetings were held in conjunction with the on-going ASEAN Tourism Forum 2002 (ATF 2002) held on 21 – 28 January 2002. The theme of ATF 2002 is “Nature Links and Cultural Corridors”.

2.         The Meeting was chaired by H.E. Mr. I Gede Ardika, Minister of Culture and Tourism for Indonesia, with H.E. Mr. Veng Sereyvuth, Senior Minister, Minister of Tourism for Cambodia, as Vice-Chairman. 

3.         The Ministers discussed the following primary agenda items: a) Follow-up actions/decisions arising from the Seventh ASEAN Summit; b) Visit ASEAN Campaign (VAC) activities; c) Major activities of NTOs task forces to support the tourism action agenda of the Hanoi Plan of Action (HPA); d) First Meeting of ASEAN and China, Japan and Korea Tourism Ministers (M-ATM + 3); and e) Impact of 11^th September Tragedy on ASEAN Tourism.

ASEAN Tourism Agreement

4.         The Ministers, in line with the deliberations of the Seventh ASEAN Summit held in November 2001 in Brunei Darussalam, endorsed the formulation of an ASEAN Tourism Agreement. The Ministers collectively viewed that the ASEAN Tourism Agreement would serve as a re-affirmation at the highest political levels of the importance of the travel and tourism sector for ASEAN economic integration and in the greater mutual understanding and solidarity amongst the peoples of ASEAN.

5.         The Ministers welcomed the generous offer of the Minister of Tourism of Cambodia to lead a High – Level Task Force to formulate the ASEAN Tourism Agreement for signing at the Eighth ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in November/December 2002.

Visit ASEAN Campaign Activities

6.         The Ministers agreed on the second-phase implementation of the Visit ASEAN Campaign addressing the consumer market with primary focus on Intra – ASEAN Travel in addition to the existing major generating markets in the Asia Pacific region. To facilitate intra-ASEAN travel, the Ministers urged member countries to abolish all fiscal or non-fiscal travel barriers. 

7.         The Ministers were pleased to note that ASEAN member countries had incorporated relevant VAC activities into their own promotional activities.

8.         The Ministers expressed profound gratitude to the ASEAN Dialogue Partners such as: Japan, the Republic of Korea, and United Nations Development Program (UNDP), as well as related ASEAN bodies like ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information (COCI), ASEAN Foundation, and the ASEAN – Japan Centre (AJC) for their generous support in implementing VAC promotional activities, including:

• 30 second television commercial spot on VAC produced by ASEAN COCI and funded by UNDP was run on BBC (Europe, Middle East, South Africa and South Asia) and CNN (Europe and CETV China) between 16 June and 18 July 2001. Further broadcast is being made on BBC and CNN in the same target markets with 54 and 35 showings, respectively, between December 2001 and January 2002;

• Implementation of the Two-Day Workshop on ASEAN and Korean Tourism for Korean and ASEAN Travel Agents in Seoul on 31 May-3 June 2001, which received technical assistance from the Republic of Korea; 

• Public Relations activities in the World Travel Mart (WTM) in London 2001 that included face-to-face interviews, VAC press packs, display of VAC brandings and Post Exhibitions; and

• Implementation of the Workshop on the Visit ASEAN Campaign on 27-30 September 2001 in Osaka, Japan, which received technical assistance from Japan, including the launch of VAC in Japan.  

Implementation Status of the other ASEAN Tourism Cooperation Programs to Support the HPA’s Tourism Action Agenda

9.         The Ministers were pleased to note the progress of the following major cooperation programs being undertaken by the relevant ASEAN NTOs task forces.

• The completion and launching of the ASEAN Tourism Training and Education Network (ATTEN) Directory consisting of ASEAN tourism training centers, and the first edition of ASEAN Journal on Hospitality and Tourism, as the means to strengthen communication network and facilitate scholastic and academic activities in ASEAN;

• Completion of the Japanese - assisted ASEAN Cruise Development Study;

• Finalization of the ASEAN Cruise Development Framework;

• Holding of ASEAN Seminar in Singapore to promote Cruise Tourism and Intra – ASEAN Travel Facilitation;

• Finalization of the Eco – Tourism Manual;

• Completion of the Eco – Tourism Seminar in Shah Alam, Malaysia;

• Conducting overseas tourism investment promotions/road shows;

• Promotion of intra - ASEAN travel and tourism related products, such as Rail Pass and ASEAN Cruise;

• Strengthening ASEAN Communication Team for Tourism to cover VAC promotion, enhancing traveler’s confidence in safety and security among others.

Tourism Sectoral Negotiations under the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services (AFAS)

10.       The Ministers noted that the ASEAN Economic Ministers had signed the Protocol to Implement the Third Package of Commitments on 31 December 2001. The final offers of member countries for the tourism sector include  (a) Hotel Lodging Services; (b) Meal Serving Services with Full Restaurant Services; and (c) Beverage Serving Services Without Entertainment.

11.       In line with the decision of the Seventh ASEAN Summit to speed up negotiations on intra-ASEAN trade in services, the Ministers requested ASEAN NTOs to take an active part in the third round of negotiations starting this year, for the fourth package of commitments in the tourism sector under the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Services (CCS).

Enhancing Peace and Order

12.       The Ministers supported the ongoing efforts undertaken by the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMM-TC) pursuant to the ASEAN Declaration on Joint Action to Counter Terrorism adopted at the Seventh ASEAN Summit.

13.       The Ministers endorsed the recent actions taken in some ASEAN member countries to detain persons suspected of having terrorist links as a positive step towards ensuring that a high level of security prevailed in the region. The Ministers also welcomed the continued high level of vigilance by law enforcement agencies and urged that all possible security measures continue to be taken.

14.        The Ministers recognized that tourism cooperation in the ASEAN+3 framework would foster greater tourism exchange, social interaction and closer economic cohesion in East Asia.  They shared the view that the ASEAN+3 cooperation is very timely as there is now an urgent need for increased tourism in view of the global economic downturn and the drop in global tourism as an aftermath of the September 11th, 2001 tragedy in the United States. The Ministers agreed to pursue ASEAN+3 cooperation in the following areas:

• Facilitation of travel
• Tourism promotion between ASEAN and China, Japan and Republic of Korea;
• Enhancement of private sector cooperation;
• Joint programs on human resources development as well as research and information technology; and
• Investment promotion.

Study on the Impact of 11^th September 2001 Tragedy

15.       The Ministers requested the ASEAN Secretariat to finalize its study on the Impact of the 11^th September Tragedy on ASEAN tourism, to take into account completed survey questionnaires from all the member countries.

ASEAN Tourism Forum 2003

16.        The Sixth Meeting of ASEAN Tourism Ministers (M-ATM) would be held during the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2003 (ATF 2003) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 20-28 January 2003 with

ASEAN Tourism Forum 2004

17.         Lao PDR confirmed to host the Seventh M-ATM and the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2004 (ATF 2004).  The Meeting was held in the traditional ASEAN spirit of cordiality and solidarity.

List of ASEAN Tourism Ministers:

a.                   H.E. Mr. Abdul Rahman Taib, Minister of Industry and Primary Resources, Brunei Darussalam;

b.                  H.E. Mr. Veng Sereyvuth, Senior Minister, Minister of Tourism, Cambodia;  

c.                   H.E. Mr. I Gede Ardika, Minister of Culture and Tourism for Indonesia;

d.                  H.E. Mr. Cheng Sayavong, Vice-Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Chairman of National Tourism Authority of Lao PDR;

e.                   H.E. Datuk Abdul Kadir Bin Haji Sheikh Fadzir, Minister of Culture, Arts and Tourism, Malaysia;

f.                    H.E. Major General Saw Lwin, Minister of Hotels and Tourism, Myanmar;

g.                   H.E. Mr. Richard J. Gordon, Secretary of Tourism, Philippine Department of Tourism;

h.                   H.E. Mr Raymond Lim, Minister of State for Trade and Industry, Singapore;

i.                     H.E. Mr Somsak Thepsutin, Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office and Chairperson of the Tourism Authority of Thailand

j.                    H.E. Dr. Pham Tu, Vice Chairman of Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism, Viet Nam; and

k.                  H.E. Mr Rodolfo C. Severino, Jr., ASEAN Secretary-Gener