A new website for the ASEAN under www.aseantourism.travel was officially introduced to the public during the ASEAN Travel Forum in Vientiane early this week. It might however create more confusion among professionals as two other websites fill exactly the same functions.
VIENTIANE- On Monday, the Ministers of Tourism of Southeast Asian Nations, regrouped under ASEAN, unveiled the official revamped website of the association, providing information about its ten members.
The website is still in development process. He provides for the time being 130 products in eight identified categories: Beach, Nature & Wildlife; Cruise, Tour & Rail; Culture & Heritage; Education & Volunteering; Food & Nightlife; Fun & Leisure; Health & Spa; Outdoor & Water Sports and Pilgrimage Tourism. The site has been revamped with beautiful pictures as well as a calendar of events, media releases and useful information such as statistics, official agreements and official publications. A next step will be the presentation of multi-country circuits. However, there is no possibility for now to buy packages online.
Although the site is useful by providing information ranking by countries or thematic, it is colluding with two other websites, creating further confusion. In 2010, ASEAN Association of Travel Agencies (ASEANTA) endorsed a project of a new website called Southeastasia.org, funded by USAid, the United States cooperation agency.
The grant helped to set up a new logo, emphasizing the geographical location of ASEAN rather than its political content. Southeast Asia is certainly more talkative for many travellers than the ASEAN entity. This site still exists offering also the possibility to book online. ASEANTA will probably have to come out with an explanation of running two almost similar websites.
More confusing is finally another website, this time private and called www.asean-tourism.com. Done from Thailand- as most of its information relate to this country, the website looks rather shabby and is this time not probably the best introduction to ASEAN….
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
