 |
|
| Asian countries to revitalize post－SARS tourism |
| CCTV.COM 2003-07-09 15:07:21 |
|
Tourism authorities of seven Asian capitals, as well as of Hong Kong and Macao, have gathered in Beijing to discuss revitalizing tourism in the wake of SARS. The symposium on Wednesday is a joint effort to rebuild travelers' confidence and Asia's image.
With the WHO's declaration of an end to the SARS epidemic, participants have hailed the get－together of Asian tourism authorities as a much－needed opportunity to collaborate on presenting a new regional image.
Chong Yoke Har, regional director of Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, said, "So I think to get together hand－in－hand would be a good way to tell the world that now we are providing our service in a systemic and high quality so that such epidemic will not repeat again. We want to assure our visitors they can have safe tour to our country."
The sudden outbreak of SARS hit hard at Asia's tourism industry. Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Singapore, Bangkok, Beijing, Hanoi, Seoul, Hong Kong and Macao are taking a regional approach to recovery. One strategy is organizing outbound tour groups so that each area will be a tourist source as well as the destination.
They're hoping that their combined efforts will kick off a new phase, and a prosperous tourism industry will be restored in a few months.
Edmund Chua Eng Heng, official of Singapore Tourism Board, said, "Cooperation with other countries is a way to promote travelers' confidence. Tourism is an important channel for the cultural and economic contacts between people from each country. We come here to share our tourism revitalization plan with other countries. Hopefully, tourism can be recovered within 4 to 6 months."
Though SARS is no longer a major threat, participants agree that tourism organizations and companies must put in place measures to prevent any similar occurrence.
|
|
Editor: Xiao Wei CCTV.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
