The ASEAN Promotional Chapter for Tourism (APCT) met Aussie media in Sydney yesterday unveiling plans to jointly promote the ASEAN region to Australian business and leisure travellers, with the aim of strengthening the region’s appeal as a single destination while accelerating economic growth, social progress and cultural development through tourism.
Mr Kevin Leong, Chairman of the APCT in Australia and Regional Director for the Singapore Tourism Board (Oceania), [Pictured with with fellow APTC Members, Sharin Mokhtar – Director of Tourism Malaysia, Consuela Jones – Tourism Attache for Australia New Zealand for the Philippine Department of Tourism, Mr Leong, Silachai Surai – Director Australia and New Zealand for the Tourism Authority of Thailand, and Fery Iswandy – Vice Consul for the Republic of Indonesia], asaid that the ASEAN region has much to offer travellers, particularly with the rapid growth of low cost carriers and the variety of holiday options available, adding, “APCT Australia has been established to spread the word locally not just about each individual destination, but about multi-experiential travel between well-connected ASEAN countries,” adding, “As Australians become increasingly time poor, more and more are opting to holiday closer to home rather than spending their precious down time on extended flights or tedious train and car journeys.
He said, “The ASEAN region is ideally located to take advantage of this trend, as well as being able to offer a diverse range of exotic, affordable and easily accessible holiday experiences.
Mr Leong added, “Initially established by tourist authorities from Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia, APCT Australia is also perfectly positioned to tap into local growth markets such as culinary tourism, cruising and adventure travel to attract a new breed of Australian tourists into the region.”
With more than 2 million Australians currently visiting the ASEAN region each year APCT says that Australia currently ranks eighth as a source of visitors to ASEAN nations, after local countries, the EU, Japan, China, Korea, the USA and Taiwan with the Aussie branch of APCT with its sights firmly set on pushing Australia up the rankings in the next few years.
Several joint promotional activities, with funding assistance from the ASEAN Task Force, have already been scheduled in Australia, including:
** ASEAN Connections, a presentation to retail travel agents in Canberra (30 April) and the Gold Coast (17 May);
** ASEAN Day functions featuring guest speakers in Sydney and Melbourne in July;
** ASEAN Golf Day at Sydney’s La Perouse course in October.
For more information on the ASEAN Promotional Chapter for Tourism Australia, please contact:
Mr. Pongsak Kanittanon
PR Manager
Tourism Authority of Thailand
Level 20, 56 Pitt St
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: +61 2 9247 7549
Fax: +61 2 9251 2465
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.thailand.net.au
Report by The Mole
