Ecology rules tourism meet

CEBU, Philippines - Last night’s 11th General Assembly of the member provinces of the East Asia Inter-Regional Tourism at the Cebu International Convention Center ended with the signing of its joint declaration.

With the theme “Celebrating 12 Years of Cooperation and Commitment”, discussions among member provinces centered on ecology, education and entrepreneurship.

Considering that tourism in East Asia is now facing various crises such as pandemics, natural disasters, political instability and economic difficulties, the EATOF declared to maintain a joint effort to reduce potential crises in early stages and share information among members.

They will cooperate to establish a fair tourism environment in the region by hosting seminars and campaigns that will improve tourism industries and eliminate unfair transactional practices between companies, such as unfair pricing policies and hard-selling campaigns.

EATOF will also improve immigration procedures by introducing “no visa” policies or fast-tracking visa checks.

During the press conference attended by governors and representatives of member provinces, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said that policy has already been implemented by some Asian countries.

EATOF will also initiate cooperative projects to strengthen Education Tourism where the academe, government and business players become active participants in faculty-student-human resources program through the establishment of EATOF Tourism Education Center.

EATOF member provinces are also asked to study the feasibility of charter flights and travel routes and develop travel/tour clusters or tourism swaps where members share common tourism and trade events like festivals, trade and expositions, seminars and business/entrepreneurship matching.

In its joint declaration, EATOF also agreed to maintain multilateral exchanges which include the Summer Youth Camp, the Officials Exchange Program and the Destination of the Year Project for the host Province. The financial support in the amount of US$ 5,000 for these multilateral exchanges will be provided through the EATOF Operating Fund.

They also agreed to dispatch officials to the EATOF Secretariat to facilitate smooth operation among member provinces. Financial support, such as housing and stipends, will be provided for the dispatched officials by the EATOF Secretariat and Gangwon province in South Korea.

Being a new feature in its general assembly, EATOF agreed to permanently include in every general assembly the EATOF Festival and continue the concept and format of the Academic, Trade, Tourism and Investment Forum.

During their gathering Chiang Mai, Thailand, requested to revert its status as observer from being a regular member. EATOF deferred the request and instead asked Chiang Mai to send representative to Siem Reap, Cambodia, and for the Secretariat to assist Chiang Mai in the expenses that will be incurred.

In the case of the Province of Primorsky, Russia, an official communication will be sent by the Secretariat, inviting them to attend the general assembly in Siem Reap where final decision of their status will be discussed.

EATOF encourages governors of their respective provinces to attend the General Assembly instead of sending other officials.

As agreed, the 12th General Assembly will be held in Siem Reap province, Cambodia in the fourth week of November, 2012 in which the formal turnover will be held tonight at Marco Polo Plaza in Cebu City.

Signatories of the joint declaration are Governor Garcia of Cebu, Philippines; Governor Moonsoon Choi of Gangwon, Korea; Jilin Provincial Tourism Administration Deputy Director-General Gao Fei of Jilin, China; Vice Governor Saysamone Khomthavong of Luang Prabang, Laos; Quang Ninh Provincial People’s Committee Vice Chairwoman Vu Thi Thu Thuy of Quang Ninh, Vietnam; Assistant Minister of Tourism & Heritage YB Datuk Haji Talib Zulpilip of Sarawak, Malaysia; Governor Sou Phirin of Siem Reap, Cambodia; Deputy Director-General of the Culture and Tourism Bureau Kato Reiji of Tottori, Japan; Governor Tsedevdorj Enkhbat of Tuv, Mongolia; and Head of Yogyakarta Provincial Tourism Authority Tazbir of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. (FREEMAN)