The tourism ministers of the ten ASEAN member states agreed in April to work closer together to develop a recovery plan for the post-COVID-19 tourism industry in the region.
The tourism ministers pledged to work together to build up tourism capabilities in the ASEAN member states to help the sector, which was one of the worst hit industries in the pandemic, recover from the current slump.
ASEAN countries will engage with industry stakeholders to instil business and consumer confidence and explore creative and innovative solutions to stimulate the region’s tourism sector especially through the use of digital technologies. The member states of the bloc will also look to create joint tourism promotion programmes with the goal to advance ASEAN as a single tourism destination.
The tourism ministers of the ASEAN countries also agreed to expedite both micro- and macro-economic policies to help the regional economy and the tourism sector overcome the current challenges and recover from the slump. These economic policies will include, among others, providing technical support and financial stimulus, tax alleviation, capacity and capability building, especially digital skills, for travel and tourism stakeholders, with special focus on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), vulnerable groups, and other affected communities.
The labour ministers of the ASEAN bloc also pledged in the middle of May to work together to boost the effectiveness of active labour market policies at national and regional levels. They also agreed to increase occupational safety and health standards, and social protection systems through productive and harmonious social dialogue to retain employment, reduce the vulnerabilities of at-risk workers, and improve their resilience.