The 19th ASEAN Summit to be held in Bali on November 17 is expected to
discuss the proposed common ASEAN visa system as part of the ASEAN
connectivity plan toward establishment of the ASEAN Community by 2015.
ASEAN foreign ministers at their 44th ASEAN
Ministerial Meeting in Bali recently agreed to study the common visa
proposal further, said Widya Rahmanto, an official of the Indonesian
Foreign Ministry’s ASEAN Cooperation Directorate General.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia, which holds the
current ASEAN Chair, hoped the upcoming ASEAN Summit would agree on the
proposed common visa so an official study could be started in 2012, he
said.
According to Widya, the ASEAN common visa system is
expected to have a positive impact on tourism in the region, because the
sector is one of 11 sectors given priority in ASEAN`s scheme to
accelerate liberalisation of its market.
An in-depth study
on a common ASEAN visa is a must because there are many internal issues
that must be addressed first, such as online visa system and
coordination among relevant agencies of member countries, he said.
The common visa policy could be applied in stages, Widya said,
emphasising that before ASEAN could adopt a common visa system for
visitors from non-ASEAN countries, it must first agree on visa
arrangements for its own peoples.
In line with "ASEAN
Tourism Strategic Plan (ATSP) 2011-2015" adopted at the 14th Meeting of
the ASEAN Tourism Ministers held in Phnom Penh , Cambodia last
January, ASEAN member countries have agreed to intensify the promotion
of their tourist destinations within ASEAN.
The
ATSP is expected to contribute to the overall goals of the ASEAN
Community by 2015 through promotion of growth, integration and
competitiveness of the tourism sector and at the same time deepen social
and cultural understanding as well as facilitating travel into and
within ASEAN.
Currently, ASEAN member countries, except
Cambodia and Laos, apply a visa-free policy among themselves,
particularly to boost intra-ASEAN tourism.
Last
year ASEAN attracted more than 65 million visitors, posting a healthy 12
percent growth. Intra-ASEAN travel, meanwhile, continued to be a major
share of tourists, making up 45 percent of total international arrivals.
Founded in 1967, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia,
Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. /.