Celebrating
a fruitful 25 years of strengthened relations between the member nations of
ASEAN and INDIA, the leading tourism and trade figures from the participating
countries converged in Bangkok for the ASEAN - India Expo and Forum held
last August 3-5, 2017 at the Queen
Sirikit National Convention Center. The 2-day event was driven by the model of “Strategic
Economic Partnership & Connectivity”, where a string of productive discussions
emerged from a series of panel talks, round table discussions forums, expert
lectures and young entrepreneurs networking activities. A trade exposition showcasing
the local products and brands from the participating countries also became a
major draw and attracted a large crowd.
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| Ministers from ASEAN countries and INDIA does the famous world-leaders handshake |
Aiming to bridge the gap, stimulate and
widen the opportunities available in tourism, trade and investments between the
partaking nations – which according to recent figures, amount to a little more
than 2 billion of the world’s population – the ASEAN – India Expo and Forum
successfully highlighted the importance of tapping into this huge market that can
infuse positive influences into the various facets of; politics, economy,
culture and society of the ASEAN region and India.
ASEAN-India
as One Tourism Destination
One
of the many interesting round table discussions happened during the forum
participated by the Tourism Ministers of Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
as they were joined by a couple of leading figures in the travel industry.
The
group discussed ways of promoting ASEAN tourism to India and vice-versa citing
the romantic locales of the fine beaches of the region especially those found
in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, the cultural and historic
landmarks in Cambodia, Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos
as well as the colorful culture, magical vibe and spiritual spectacle
dominating the various sights of India.
They
also agreed that a more open-skies policy and a tourism campaign focusing on
promoting and fusing the ASEAN and Indian region as one tourism destination should become one of
the main goals of each country’s tourism campaigns.
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| Thailand's Minister for Tourism Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul leads the tourism forum |
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| Thailand's Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha delivers the opening remarks |
"An
increased tourism between India and ASEAN will increase investments and also
help foster a stronger relationships between both regions" Mrs Kobkarn
Wattanavrangkul, Thailand Minister of Tourism said.
Thailand
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha also stated in his opening keynote speech; "the
development of association in terms of land, water and air transportation and
logistics between India and ASEAN will be important factors" in the
expansion of tourism, trade and investments between the two regions.
Removing ASEAN – India Trade Barriers
India’s
Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman delivered a
stirring keynote speech at the opening of the expo, where she stressed the need
to remove existing trade obstacles between India and the ASEAN region.
“Barriers
that impede trade must be removed besides enhanced utilization of the Free
Trade Agreement (FTA),” among she stated to be tackled upon by the member
states includes; a wider open skies policy, facilitating of customs procedure
and the introduction of more non-tariff processes that would fasten the
movement of goods, services and even tourists between the partner countries.
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| Cultural performers opened the 2-day summit |
“ASEAN
presents considerable opportunities for development and trade. The trade
between India and ASEAN is increased to $71.69 billion in 2016-17 from $30.09
billion in 2007-08,” Sitharaman adds.
Still
part of his opening speech; Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha led the
call to widen the ‘corridors of connectivity’ and expand ‘corridors of trade’.
Thailand’s
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said, “South East Asia and India are part of
the world's important economic mechanism. If we work together in synergy, we
will gain bargaining power and become a major market with an immense power to
drive the economy forward. This can lead to major economic and social changes.”
Cultural Exchange and Product Exhibitions
Attendees
of the ASEAN – India Expo and Forum were also treated to a wide array of
cultural performances which featured traditional dances from Thailand and other
ASEAN countries as well as a dazzling display of Filipino Martial Arts. The
vast ground of Queen Sirikit National
Convention Center’s Hall C became the location of an exposition that encompasses
more than 250 booths showcasing various tourist attractions, native products
and services from the 10-member states of ASEAN and India.
Occupying
a big space in the next hall; the Philippines proudly exhibited the country’s
Department of Trade and Industry’s “Slingshot”
project – a program that aims to support digital entrepreneurs and other
start-up companies expected to play a major role in driving the country’s economy
in the future. A separate convention called the SLINGSHOT: ASEAN Startup and
Innovation Summit will be held at the Philippine International Convention
Center on October 19-20, 2017.
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| One of the many booths showcasing local cultures and products. This one was from Laos |
Collectively,
the ASEAN – India Expo and Forum – as a fitting celebration to the 25th
year of the foundation of India and ASEAN relations - opened several insightful
avenues for leading tourism and trade personalities to discover and converse about
the wide-ranging possibilities of an expanded link and exchanges of best
practices ideas in the field of tourism, trade, investment and culture between
the two regions. Playing home to almost a fourth of the world’s population,
there is nowhere else to go for India and the ASEAN nations but to move forward
into a brighter future.
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This
article appeared in the September 10, 2017 issue of BusinessMirror
