ASEAN is well on its way to developing its five-year tourism roadmap. The region’s NTOs are starting to promote their Visit South East Asia: Feel the Warmth marketing campaign, and are seeking to double the annual budget from members to US$20,000 a year over the next four years.
According to Thanittha Maneechote, deputy permanent secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand, the various NTOs had already endorsed a tourism roadmap template during the 34th ASEAN NTOs Meetings event in Luang Prabang last month. This template will pave the way for the official use of the slogan and logo for the marketing campaign.
With detailed marketing activities to be discussed at a special meeting of the marketing communications working group in October, the ASEAN NTOs also requested that a US$23,000 budget be allocated to market and promote the region under the campaign.
In addition, the NTOs sought US$5,000 to fund the production of a promotional video with the theme ASEAN: A World of Wonders and Diversity, as well as proposed that the annual US$10,000 contribution per country be doubled between 2012 and 2015.
The five-year tourism blueprint is targeting 86.7 million arrivals to the region by 2015.
By Sirima Eamtako
