(Sihanoukville, January 19, 2022) 2020 and 2021 have been difficult years for travel and tourism in the ASEAN region. In 2021, Southeast Asia was acknowledged as the region with the most travel restrictions in the world by UNWTO Tourism Recovery Tracker. Towards the end of 2021, a number of ASEAN countries prepared to re-open their international borders through different mechanisms reducing entry requirements to allow short visits by tourists to their countries. Due to Omicron many of these initiatives were backtracked and more restrictions were imposed with the exception of Cambodia as shown by the organizing of the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2022 in hybrid format.
“On behalf of ASEANTA I extend my appreciation to the Ministry of Tourism of the Kingdom of Cambodia for organizing ATF 2022 in hybrid format despite the challenges posed by the increase of Omicron in many parts of the world. I echo the statement by Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen at the Opening Ceremony of ATF 2022 encouraging ASEAN borders to reopen via the establishment of corridors with reduced requirements through utilization and expansion of the ASEAN Travel Corridor Arrangement endorsed by the ASEAN Leaders to include leisure travel as well,” said ASEANTA President Eddy Krismeidi. (pictured)
In supporting the organization of Hybrid ATF 2022 by the Kingdom of Cambodia, ASEANTA also organized its Board Meeting in hybrid format, hosted by the Cambodian Association of Travel Agents (CATA), in Sihanoukville. The Meeting discussed a number of key initiatives in supporting tourism recovery within the region including calls for more coordinated border reopenings in ASEAN and interoperability of digital health applications.
To support and help fast-track tourism recovery efforts, ASEANTA is undertaking joint promotions of the region through the organizing of the ASEANTA Travel Exchange (ATEX) digital platform.
The ATEX will feature both a B2B exhibitions and business matching component as well as a B2C marketplace that will allow consumers to instantly book trips and tours directly with industry stakeholders throughout ASEAN. In addition, the ATEX platform will also feature an AI-driven search tool and will act as a central reference for travellers traveling to ASEAN.
The platform will be launched in stages starting late Q1 with the release of a regularly updated, consolidated COVID-19 Information guide.
ASEANTA will work together with its members which include travel agencies, hotels, airlines and National Tourism Organizations to actively promote ASEAN as a safe and viable destination for travellers worldwide.