ASEAN senior officials on July 5 and 6 joined a virtual conference on tourism, discussing ways to attract more visitors and ensure their health and safety as the COVID-19 pandemic virus continues to circulate.
Vientiane (VNA) – ASEAN senior officials on July 5and 6 joined a virtual conference on tourism, discussing ways to attract morevisitors and ensure their health and safety as the COVID-19 pandemic viruscontinues to circulate.
According to an article by Laos’ local daily Vientiane Times,the 56th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Tourism noted that many membercountries have adopted policies and measures to facilitate travel within theregion, such as by simplifying procedures for tourists’ arrival and departure.
Participating ASEAN officials said they will continue towork together to revive tourism in the region under an action plan approvedearlier this year, in collaboration with the relevant sectors. The ultimategoal is to revitalise the industry and restore visitor numbers to pre-pandemiclevels.
Their works include the development of diversified tourismproducts, marketing campaigns, improvement of tourism standards andconnectivity, and the use of more digital systems to provide tourists witheasier access to information.
In addition, authorities in ASEAN will work with dialoguepartners and international organisations to strengthen the sector and make iteasier for tourists to travel./.
The ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM) has held its 40th Meeting together with the 3rd ACDM Plus China, 3rd ACDM Plus Japan, 16th Governing Board of the AHA Centre and 1st ASEAN Disaster Resilience Platform (ADRP) meeting, aiming to enhance regional cooperation in disaster management and humanitarian assistance.
The 3rd ASEAN Consumer Protection Conference (ACPC) has taken place under the theme “Building a Fair and Future-Ready Marketplace for Consumers in ASEAN”.
The ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) forecasts a 4.3% growth for the ASEAN+3 (Association of Southeast Asian Nations plus China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea) region this year, slightly lower than its previous forecast.
The Republic of Korea (RoK), China and Japan agreed on May 3 to reinforce the regional financial safety net, along with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), by launching a new financing facility programme meant to extend greater support in case of a financial crisis.
A technical issue combined with an extreme heatwave was blamed for a series of explosions at a military base that killed 20 soldiers and injured several others in Cambodia on April 27, the country’s Ministry of Defence said in a May 2 statement as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
The Customs Department of Thailand is scheduled to commence the collection of value-added tax (VAT) on imported goods sent via postal services, regardless of the goods value, starting in May.
A lecturer from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine has warned Thais to be more vigilant against COVID-19, saying infection rates appeare to be worsening with higher hospital admissions, deaths and severe cases.
Malaysia should harness the collective expertise and resources to drive sustainable growth and development of the halal industry, according to Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Laos has officially restored the 10% value-added tax (VAT) rate starting May 1, in a bid to support the country’s budget revenue and socio-economic development.
The ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) entered its second plenary session in Hanoi on the afternoon of April 23, discussing ways to ensure comprehensive security for the people-centred ASEAN Community.
The first session of the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) in Hanoi on April 23 focused on fast and sustainable growth for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) and the ASEAN Alliance on Carbon Markets (AACM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration and accelerate the implementation of carbon crediting programmes across Southeast Asia.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn reaffirmed ASEAN leaders' commitment to empowering the youth to unleash their full potential when he had a dialogue with ASEAN youth in Hanoi on April 22 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Future Forum (AF 2024).
The Thai Government is being urged to increase the proportion of renewable power generation to more than the target of 50% set in the power development plan (PDP).
The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of Indonesia on April 21 lifted its tsunami advisory issued previously following the eruption of Mount Ruang in Sitaro district of North Sulawesi province.
Thailand expects to export about 1 million tonnes of durian, valued at an estimated 130 billion THB (3.53 billion USD) this year, with most of the shipments to China, according to Minister of Agriculture Thammanat Prompao.
The 72nd meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) and related meetings are being held by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of Vietnam in the central city of Da Nang on April 22-26.
Enhancing regional food security and tackling the pressing challenges of climate change will be key agendas defining Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (lower house) Johari Abdul told the press on April 19.
Illustrative photo (Source: asean.org) 
