Selangor Journal
A view of the Kilim Geoforest Park in Langkawi, Kedah, which is a popular destination for both local and international tourists in Malaysia. — Picture by FACEBOOK/Tourism Malaysia

Asean casts bright tourism outlook

HANOI, Oct 3 — Tourism in Asean is on the road to recovery with hotel searches, occupancy rates and travel on the rising trend.

Vietnam news agency (VNA) reported Asean in a statement recently said the tourism growth is already “on the incline” in the fourth quarter of this year.

Quoting the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)’s Tourism Recovery Tracker, Asean pointed to a 28 per cent year-to-date increase in hotel searches as well as a 57 per cent increase in occupancy rates.

Overall travel sentiment has also risen by an impressive 40 per cent year-to-date, and it is expected to increase as more Covid-19 vaccines become available across the globe and variants become milder.

According to VNA, Asean noted that this progression has led to easing of the regions’ pandemic-related border restrictions.

Asean said the pandemic should serve as an impetus and opportunity for the sector to build forward better – by designing and building a more sustainable tourism sector that would underpin its resilience, which should no longer be taken for granted.

“The vision is for tourism in Asean to emerge more sustainable and resilient following the crisis induced by Covid-19, with more focus on environmental conservation and climate friendly policies, as well as on the critical socio-cultural impacts of the tourism sector in the region,” noted Asean in its statement.

— Bernama

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