Northstar

www.travelweekly-asia.com 1 ATF OFFICIAL SUPPORTING DAILIES | By Ian Jarrett Feature: How travel agents can beat OTAs at their own game. p8 INSIDE OPINION: SIA chief talks about strength in numbers, flexibility and game-changing aircraft ... p5 I t was the first week of August in 1967, in Bang Saen - a small seaside resort located 80km from Bangkok. The founding fathers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) were locked into four days of high- level, high-intensity talks. There were plenty of prickly issues to resolve. Fifty years ago, there were simmering, unresolved disputes between some Southeast Asian nations. Finally, the foreign ministers of those five countries - Indonesia, HERE WE GO, LIFT-OFF FOR ASEAN TOURISM'S BIG YEAR Showbuzz : Views that matter p23 News Highlight: Southeast Asia unique but challenging p22 Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand - left for home satisfied that they had the blueprint for a lasting alliance. The original five member countries have grown to 10 and this week at ASEAN Tourism Forum in Singapore, the legacy of the founders' foresight is being acknowledged as ASEAN celebrates its good fortune – and sound judgment – in achieving peace and stability, and a tourism industry that has contributed significantly to growing regional prosperity. So it's fitting that ASEAN tourism takes the spotlight in Singapore as member countries showcase their destinations individually for the greater good of all. Initiatives driving the rise of ASEAN tourism include joint tourism marketing campaigns to encourage citizens of ASEAN countries to visit their neighbours and contribute to the target of lifting international arrivals to the region from 109 million in 2015 to more than 121 million in 2017. For those undecided about where to go, the VISIT ASEAN@50 Golden Celebration 2017 campaign – supported by private sector companies like MasterCard and AirAsia - offers 50 cross-border travel experiences in Southeast Asia to encourage multi-destination travel within ASEAN. Cruises lines participating in the campaign include Royal Caribbean International, Star Cruises and Coral Expeditions. MasterCard is working with issuers and merchant partners to promote the campaign globally and will use its Priceless.com platform to drive intra-ASEAN travel. AirAsia is implementing an extensive multimedia awareness campaign across all its operating markets and is including the VISIT ASEAN@50 logo in multiple marketing campaigns. The Visit ASEAN@50 campaign is paying particular attention to long- haul markets in Europe, the Middle East and North America, as well as China, Japan, Korea, India and Australia, with the message that the ASEAN region is a single and united, yet diverse, tourism destination. Devinder Ohri, president of NATAS and the new president of the ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA), said he believes the outlook for ASEAN is "cautiously" promising. "As ASEAN celebrates its Golden Jubilee in 2017, we envisage greater co-operation and collaboration amongst member countries in the social, political, defence and Continued page 4. Fifty years of ASEAN solidarity is being celebrated with new initiatives designed to enhance intra-ASEAN travel. PHOT0 CREDIT: ISTOCK Making a Difference w w w.travelweekly-asia.com 18 Januar y 2017 PUBLISHED BY NORTHSTAR TRAVEL MEDIA SINGAPORE PTE LTD ISSN 2382-6061 MCI (P) 012/07/2016 PPS 1849/09/2014 (025581) Day 1 O F F I C I A L D A I L I E S S U P P O R T I N G

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