ASEAN region to develop additional cruise corridors

ASEAN countries are gearing up to develop three cruise corridors, to give a boost to the cruise traffic in the region, by attracting both leisure and MICE travellers. This new strategy also features co-operative marketing efforts, notably joint participation in key cruise industry events.

The cruise corridors that are being discussed are, the Malacca Straits, Karimata Strait/Java Sea/Flores Sea and South China Sea/Gulf of Thailand; each with a strong potential to draw visitors across demographics but with a significant high-end factor, to the region.

This announcement was made by ASEAN tourism ministers at their meeting in Manado, Indonesia, at the programme of the 2012 ASEAN Tourism Forum.

A statement from the ministers, delivered by Mari Elka Pangestu, Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, said they had agreed to work on “Concerted measures and initiatives to promote the growth of this promising travel segment.”

A workshop on Cruise Tourism is to be organised within the next few months, involving all key players in the cruise value chain.