Are
members of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) finally ready to work together
in tourism by implementing a single entry visa
for its travelers?
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (eTN) - Malaysia's tourism
minister has been busy making a compelling argument
for a single entry visa to all ASEAN member countries.
Malaysian
Tourism Minister Tengku Adnan said, "The
Association of ASEAN Tour Agencies (ASTA) has
agreed to pursue the matter to make it more conducive
for tourists, especially long haul travelers who
come to this part of the world.”
He
added, "We are pushing for a single entry
visa for tourists to ASEAN countries. A tourist
visiting a member state will not need to apply
for multiple visas to visit countries within the
grouping.”
Malaysia
is using its leadership in the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines
East Asian Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Joint Tourism
development Cluster program as its platform to
push the proposal.
Malaysian
tourism is in for a gold mine when the proposal
gets the backing of ASEAN member states. Its fledgling
low-cost long haul carrier AirAsia X sees Kuala
Lumpur as the hub for the hordes of foreign visitors
it expects to fly in when it starts service this
September.
Meanwhile,
Firefly, the budget carrier of national carrier
Malaysia Airlines, is priming itself to make its
mark on the Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, and Pontianak,
Makasar route in Indonesia.
Minister
Adnan also disclosed official figures up to June
show Malaysia has exceeded its projected total
tourist arrivals for the Visit Malaysia Year campaign
by 60 percent.
