How shared Asean visa could help Philippines find its travel feet

As Asean tourism leaders met this week to discuss regional matters, observers say a common visitor visa for the bloc and aligned digital connectivity will even out tourism growth and help lagging countries like the Philippines catch up.The 63rd Asean National Tourism Organisation Meeting, held in Cebu in the Philippines on Monday, was also attended by tourism chiefs from Japan, China and South Korea – countries that were instrumental in boosting tourism in the region.In 2024, 20 million Chinese, 9 million South Koreans and 3 million Japanese visited the region. Further growth from these markets is expected this year.“What we decide and coordinate in meetings like this translates into the visitor journey, competitiveness of our destinations, resilience of our enterprises and livelihoods of our communities,” Verna Buensuceso, undersecretary for the Philippines’ Department of Tourism, said in her opening remarks.Buencuseso called for interconnected tourism corridors by 2030, which she said would help showcase nature-based destinations and strengthen the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ competitiveness as a single tourism destination.Tourists dressed in traditional Thai attire pose for souvenir photos at the Temple of Dawn in Bangkok on January 19. Photo: EPAAnalysts argue inherent competition among member states would make it challenging to sell the region as a unified travel destination, but an integrated visa arrangement may help promote multi-country itineraries.