Six member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have agreed to open flights to each other in their efforts to boost tourist arrivals, an Indonesian official said Tuesday.

The six countries -- Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam -- are determined to boost international arrivals by 15 percent a year, said Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik.

Speaking to journalists after meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Jakarta, Wacik said the number of tourists visiting the six countries totaled only around half a million a year.

The six countries also agreed to jointly launch tourism promotion and open training program for tourism workers from each country.

ASEAN groups 10 countries, the four others being Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore.

(Xinhua News Agency August 30, 2006)