DECLARATION ON TOURISM SAFETY AND SECURITY
BY THE ASEAN TOURISM MINISTERS

We, the Tourism Ministers of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) gathered in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 24 January 2003 for the Sixth Meeting of ASEAN Tourism Ministers,
Recalling the ASEAN Declaration on Joint Action to Counter Terrorism signed by  ASEAN Leaders on 5 November 2001 in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam and the Declaration on terrorism by the Eight ASEAN Summit held on 4 November 2002 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia;

Mindful of the Resolution adopted at the International Conference on Anti-Terrorism and Tourism Recovery on 8-9 November 2002 in the Philippines;

Committing to the implementation of the ASEAN Tourism Agreement signed by the ASEAN Leaders at the Eight ASEAN Summit on 4 November 2002 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia;

Recognising the importance of tourism as a significant industry in the promotion of economic benefits and social unity, which among others, provides job opportunities thereby alleviating poverty, improves the quality of lives among the ASEAN citizens and promotes friendliness, networking and widen perspectives among nations;

Realising that terrorism is a direct challenge to tourism development in ASEAN;

Reiterating our commitment to work in close partnership to build travellers’ confidence in ASEAN; and

Desiring the endorsement of peace and stability through tourism in the region

HEREBY DECLARE AND COMMIT OURSELVES TO:

1. Stand united in ensuring the safety and security of travellers in ASEAN. As safety and security is the heart of tourism, we are committed to work together with the relevant government bodies in combating terrorism, including preventive and repressive actions to ensure the safety and security of travellers in this region;

2. Carry out specific measures to ensure travellers’ safety as mandated by the ASEAN Leaders in the ASEAN Tourism Agreement.

3. Work closely with the relevant ASEAN Bodies in reviewing existing policies and adopting appropriate measures to prevent tourism related threats.

4. Work closely with the law enforcement agencies to ensure the strengthening of security in airports, seaports and all tourists’ sites.

5. Strengthen information sharing network among ASEAN Member Countries and between ASEAN and China, Japan and Korea and other countries.

6. Create an ASEAN webpage to provide precise and timely information on tourism safety and security. This Tourism Safety webpage will provide the official information on safety and security for public and private, media as well as foreign governments.

7. Encourage the private sector such as the travel agencies, airlines, hotels and tourism- related establishments to work in partnership with Member Countries to implement the safety and security measures, including information sharing co-operation.

8. Work closely to build capacity throughout the region by enhancing human resources competency in tourism safety and security.

Related Documents

Joint Press Statement of the 6th Meeting of ASEAN Tourism Ministers (6th M-ATM)

Joint Press Statement of the 2nd Meeting of ASEAN, China, Japan and Korea Tourism Ministers (2nd M-ATM+3)