World travel body urges Asean nations to focus on infrastructure

World travel body urges Asean nations to focus on infrastructure 
By  SUCHAT SRITAMA 
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- THE WORLD Travel & Tourism Council has urged Asean governments to ensure they have the infrastructure in place to cater to future demand from the region and China.

David Scowsill, president and chief executive officer of the WTTC, said Southeast Asia was one of the best-performing tourism regions. 

In 2015, the contribution of travel and tourism to the economies of Southeast Asia grew by an average of 7.9 per cent, ahead of South Asia (7.4 per cent) and Oceania (6.2 per cent). This growth was driven by the combined forces of the overall economic strengthening of the region and its proximity to the rapidly growing Chinese market.

“Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar [were] all within the top 10 fastest-growing tourism economies in 2015, and in terms of the absolute size of the tourism sector, Thailand and Indonesia are in the global top 20. This combination of size and growth within the region means that the future forecasts for Southeast Asia are extremely positive,” Scowsill said.

Full story: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/business/EconomyAndTourism/30303347

 

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