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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Visayas devider ASEAN bares 5 focus areas in tourism

ASEAN bares 5 focus areas in tourism

Published Jan 29, 2026 06:40 pm
TOURISM Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco speaks during the ASEAN Tourism Conference on Thursday, Jan. 29, in Cebu City. (Calvin Cordova)
TOURISM Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco speaks during the ASEAN Tourism Conference on Thursday, Jan. 29, in Cebu City. (Calvin Cordova)
CEBU CITY – Resilient tourism, empowerment of tourism workforce, accessible and seamless travel, digital tourism, and sustainable tourism.
These are the five focus areas that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) unveiled as part of its five-year tourism sectoral plan, which was discussed during the ASEAN Tourism Conference on Thursday, Jan. 29, at Nustar Resort and Casino here.
Eleven tourism ministers of ASEAN’s member-states attended the conference, which is among the highlights of the ASEAN Tourism Conference 2026 along with the ASEAN Tourism Ministerial Meeting
As it aspires to become a global leader in quality and high-value tourism, ASEAN officials acknowledged major challenges and threats that may significantly impact the $400-billion tourism and travel industry.
According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), tourism remains one of the strongest economic drivers in the ASEAN area, welcoming 144 million international visitors in 2025 for a 13.4 percent increase compared to the previous year.
Of the total arrivals, nearly 48 million travelers come from within the region.
Experts have noted structural transformations within the region.
“Across Asia, countries are transitioning away from volume-led models toward higher value and more diversified forms of tourism,” said Scott Morris, ADB Vice President for East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
With the changing landscape, the region has to shift its focus from recovery to transformative tourism, said Satvinder Singh, Deputy Secretary General for ASEAN Economic Community.
“All these numbers I'm sharing with you are all encouraging signs. But we must be clear, you know, recovery alone definitely is not enough. ASEAN tourism now operates in an environment which is rapidly changing the global landscape,” explained Singh.
Geopolitical tensions, climate change, digital disruption, and shifting traveler expectations are not just the challenges that ASEAN tourism is facing but also increasing competition.
“Therefore, I think it's really an opportunity of a lifetime for ASEAN to move decisively from this recovery to transformation,” Singh said.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) reported some progress being made in alignment with the ASEAN Tourism Sectoral Plan for the next five years.
Among the progress cited by DOT Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco were the trainings provided for around 400,000 tourism workers.
Frasco said the Philippines s working on addressing reliability on flights to achieve accessible and seamless travel.
“We also seek to work with our fellow member ASEAN nations in terms of improving regional transport within the ASEAN region, knowing that we can support each other as far as tourism flows if we focus on route development,” Frasco said.

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ASEAN Tourism Cebu City ASEAN Tourism Forum 2026
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