The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has launched a joint program aimed at boosting intra-ASEAN tourism, getting ASEAN residents to visit more than one of the member countries for their holidays, according to the Thai News Agency Sunday.

The ASEAN Tourism Association said that the so-called "ASEAN Hip-Hop Pass," which will run until March 31, 2005, is a promotional program offering competitive prices for intra-regional travel by citizens of the ASEAN-member countries.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The program involves air, hotel and tour passes, which can only be purchased in ASEAN countries.

The air pass offers visits to at least two ASEAN countries, including three flights at a price of US$399 for a five-day to one-month trip, with additional flights available for US$150 each.

The hotel pass offers tourists special room rates of US$35, US$50, and US$70 for participating three-star, four-star and five-star hotels, respectively, and the maximum stay is seven days. At least 157 hotels involve in the program.

The tour pass offers tourists airport-hotel-airport ground transfers, and half-day city tours at US$30 per passenger with a minimum of two passengers traveling.

It is only available for air pass holders and citizens of Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore.

(Xinhua News Agency April 19, 2004)