January 26, 2010
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (AFP) - The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Monday rolled out a new tourism campaign with the slogan "Southeast Asia: feel the warmth."
The campaign will target visitors from Asian markets such as Australia and India, as well as further afield in Britain, Hong Kong and North America, the ASEAN Tourism Association said in a statement.
The campaign, launched at an industry forum in Brunei on Monday, is focused on a new promotional website SoutheastAsia.org.
Pehin Yahya, Brunei's minister of industry and primary resources, told delegates that the region offers "tremendous opportunities" to visitors including ecotourism and culinary experiences.
ASEAN Tourism Association chairman Felix J. Cruz said the initiative will promote travel to multiple destinations in Southeast Asia, and could be a tool to fight poverty for its poorer members.
ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The UN World Tourism Organisation said last week that international tourist arrivals should increase 3.0 to 4.0 percent in 2010 after a difficult year.
International tourist arrivals fell by an estimated 4.0 percent in 2009, it said in its World Tourism Barometer.
