Another Proposed Tourist Visa Initiative! Yeah, Right!

[Art2ro]

http://www.bworldonl...ionals&id=45074 Tourism officials OK visa for non-ASEAN nationals

The officials committed to fast-tracking such initiative during the 15th meeting of the ASEAN Tourism Ministers held on Jan. 11 in Manado, Indonesia.

“The ASEAN common visa will be beneficial for the Philippines and to all the ASEAN countries because it will serve as a huge incentive to other countries to visit all of the ASEAN member nations,” Tourism Secretary Ramon J. Jimenez, Jr. said in a text message yesterday.

The Tourism chief said “we expect that it will be implemented within two years -- in many ASEAN members, if not in all ASEAN.”

According to the DoT statement, the development of a common visa is in line with the region’s goal of attracting 107 million tourists by 2015. Last year, the combined visits to the region reached 79 million.