BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Jan 29 (NNN-BRUDIRECT) — Asean tourism officials will work together over the next 12 months to put “meat” into the framework of the bloc’s new five-year strategic plan in promoting the region as a single tourist destination, Brunei’s Minister of Industry and Primary Resources said.

The tourism ministers endorsed the Asean Tourism Strategic Plan 2011-2015 during the 29th Mean Tourism Forum (ATF) 2010, hosted by Brunei on Jan 21-28, which drew to a close here Thursday at the Bridex Centre in Jerudong.

The plan is expected to be finalised in time for the 30th ATF, which Cambodia will host from January 15-21, 2011. The Brunei Times spoke to the tourism ministers of Brunei and Malaysia during the closing ceremony to find out their thoughts on the progress that has been achieved for Mean through this year’s ATF.

Malaysia’s Dr Ng Yen Yen said that they had heard the “positive development” of the respective tourism industries of all 10 Mean member states during the forum, where the Mean tourism ministers shared information, data and best practices of tourism in the region.

She added that the cooperation seen in this ATF and in promoting Asean as a single destination also represented the region’s ambition to become an Asean Community by 2015.

“We (the Asean countries) all have our individual strengths, so the strategic plan will give us direction to a common goal. But what’s important here is that once the plan comes through, we must see its implementation and monitoring carried out” she said.

Brunei’s Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Haji Yahya Hj Bakar said that the challenge would be in “putting the meat into the framework”.

Dr Ng said that this NIT sends the message of the need for sustainable and ecofriendly tourism. “This ATF consolidated the focus of the ministers towards the role of tourism in conservation and sustainability,” she said.

She said that this was exemplified by Hj Yahya leading the tourism ministers in a tree-planting activity and the release of four endangered marine turtles back to the sea at the Berakas Forest Reserve to mark the opening of the AT0046`.

Both ministers said that this ATF has opened up new markets, from the likes of Mexico, Poland, South Africa and Russia, for not only Brunei and Malaysia, but also for Asean as a destination.

They said that these markets would have been more difficult to access without the ATF as a platform to bring the travel agents, or buyers from these countries. The buyers from these markets, who also perceived Mean destinations as new markets for them, said that the Asia markets attracted “high value” tourists, according to Hj Yahya.

Dr Ng elaborated by saying, “Mean is not just for the mass market. Asean is not just to be seen but to be experienced”.

Comparing Mean to other tourism destinations, Hj Yahya said that the tourists who come to this region were looking for value in life, culture, food and activities, and added that tourism in this part of the world was interactive with the amount of accommodation, packages and tourism products found throughout Asean.

Meanwhile, Brunei Tourism Board CEO Sheikh Jamaluddin Sheikh Mohamed said that the Travel Exchange (Travex) 2010, the travel mart component of the ATF, has facilitated buyers to come and see Brunei for themselves the Sultanate’s peaceful, pristine and green state.

“They can see for themselves what we have here and that we really are green, we really are peaceful and that it is not all talk. The buyers have given me much better feedback on a one-to-one basis. No amount of marketing can top that,” he said.

During the closing ceremony, Hj Yahya handed over the ATF Commemorative Plague to Cambodian Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Nan Sy and Undersecretary of State for Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism, Pak Sakhom, who represented his minister.

The theme of ATF 2011 will be “Asean, A World of Wonders and Diversity”. — NNN-BRUDIRECT/The Brunei Times

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