Prompted by a rapidly growing Chinese economy, tourism has become a tie linking Asian nations, according to participants to the Special Meeting of ASEAN and China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) Tourism Ministers held in Beijing Saturday.

For southeast Asian nations such as Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, the biggest damage caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was that Chinese people stayed at home, which hurt restaurants and entertainment places there.

Huge spending by Chinese tourists would promote economic growth in Asian nations, said Sontaya Kunplome, Thailand's minister of tourism and sports.

In 2002, Chinese mainland visitors ranked first for Vietnam's inbound tourists, fourth for Thailand, and third for Singapore. Some 10 million Chinese tourists visitors went to ASEAN nations.

China would become the biggest source nation for ASEAN nations tourism, said Tran Duc Minh, deputy secretary general of the ASEAN secretariat.

Tourism encouraged people to move, as well as the flow of capital. China has already become the fastest growing trade partner for ASEAN and last year, trade volume surpassed US$54 billion.

The recovery in Bali's tourism was attributed to Asian tourists, said Thamrin B. Bachri, Indonesian deputy minister of Culture and Tourism.

Japan and the Republic of Korea are also important source nations for China.

Tourism ministers of Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) said that more and more rich Chinese people have emerged, expressing the hope of finding more Chinese people on the planes from Beijing and Shanghai to Seoul and Tokyo.

Outbound Chinese tourists not only brought back souvenirs but also memorable experience in southeast Asian's tropical resorts, said Oscar P. Palabyab, deputy tourism minister of the Philippines.

 (chinawestnews.net August 11, 2003)