Cambodia Tourism Minister Dr. Thong Khon chaired the special meeting of ASEAN Tourism Ministers, which was held via a video conference at 08:30 am on Wednesday (April 29) with an objective of discussion about the consequences of COVID-19 on the ASEAN tourism sector.

According to a joint statement post meeting, the Tourism Ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed on Wednesday to strengthen tourism cooperation amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In the joint statement, the ASEAN Tourism Ministers have emphasized the urgent need for a strengthened ASEAN coordination mechanism to collectively overcome surging challenges to the tourism sector, one of the worst hit economic sectors in the pandemic. This has led to high unemployment and furlough rates and adversely affecting the livelihood of many communities.

The ministers agreed to support the ASEAN coordination in expediting on swap of travel related health information and other necessary measures undertaken by ASEAN member states, in a bid to providing reliable information on time to the inbound and outbound travellers and tourism operators.

To protect the visitors and communities along with the workers in the hospitality and tourism related industries, the cooperation will implement clear policies and measures to bolster confidence among domestic and international visitors to Southeast Asia by developing clear standards and guidelines for a safer and healthier work environment in the region.

In addition to above, the ministers also agreed to speed up both micro and macro-economic policies by providing technical support and financial stimulus, tax alleviation, capacity and capability building, especially digital skills, for travel and tourism stakeholders.

Mr. Lim Jock Hoi, the Secretary General of ASEAN, has earlier said, “This health crisis is taking a heavy toll on our people and our economies from trade and supply chains disruption, to business closures and job losses. This is especially true in the hardest-hit sectors of retail, hospitality, transport and tourism, where the majority of small businesses operate and thousands of workers are employed,” during the meeting.