February 23, 1970

JOINT COMMUNIQUE ISSUED BY THE FIRST MEETING OF THE PERMANENT COM­MITTEE ON TOURISM OF THE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS

Reference: This Joint Communique is also published in IX DFA TS No. 1, p. 93

The first meeting of the ASEAN Permanent Committee on Tourism which was held from 23rd to 25th February 1970 in Djakarta was opened by the Minister of Communications, H.E. Frans Seda.

The meeting was presided over by Mr. M. J. Prajogo, chairman of the ASEAN Permanent Committee on Tourism and attended by the delegates from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.

Major General Rukmito Hendraningrat, ASEAN Secretary General of Indonesia, also attended the sessions.

The meeting discussed practical ways and means to implement the recommendations on tourism agreed upon by the Third ASEAN Ministerial Meeting held in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia, last year and received the stage of implementation of particular ASEAN projects in the field of tourism.

The meeting unanimously approved plans for the launching of "Visit ASEAN Year 1971" and enumerated the order of priorities for their implementation.

The meeting agreed on the need to formulate a master plan for the development of ASEAN tourism utilizing: (a) the national tourist development programmes of member countries; and (b) the offer of assistance by ECAFE-CDPPP to identify feasible projects in the field of tourism.

The delegations from Malaysia, the Philippines (headed by tourism Commissioner Gregorio Araneta II), Singapore and Thailand conveyed their gratitude and appreciation to the Government of the Republic of Indonesia and its people, the Secretariat of the meeting, the authorities and Conference Officer in Djakarta for the warm welcome and generous reception extended to them during their stay in Djakarta.