'Liberalise Visas For Growth'

[george]

'Liberalise visas for growth'

The Ninth Mekong Tourism Forum closed yesterday with a robust call for visa liberalisation, which William E Heinecke, chief executive officer of the Minor Group, described as the key to growth for the industry.

The emergence of low-cost airlines and the proximity of China made the Mekong region the largest potential travel market in the world, Heinecke told the gathering of tourism industry representatives.

Easing visa requirements will drive further rapid expansion of tourism, he said.

But the industry needs to encourage responsible development and private-sector investment, reduce unnecessary bureaucracy, develop infrastructure, improve education and recognise the importance of the international media, he said. Heinecke held up Phuket and Dubai as models for the region to follow. "I have invested in Phuket, where I saw good infrastructure, direct international flights, tax incentives, well-trained employees with English skills and [where] tourists didn't need visas."

The forum included three brainstorming sessions on protection, positioning and promotion of the collective assets of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). The protection session agreed to develop initiatives to sustain and preserve the region's natural and cultural heritage with cooperation between neighbour countries.

At the positioning session, delegates discussed existing and prospective tourism products offered in the GMS, setting themselves several goals: to promote intra-regional travel within the GMS with easy access to each country; solve problems relating to cross-border travel; focus more on the China market; find new events to promote; and hold international trade shows to enable them to market products directly.

--The Nation 2004-03-30