PATA chief bats for ‘coopetition’ to boost tourism in East Asia

Local

INSTEAD of fighting for a larger slice of the same tourism market, destinations in East Asia should work together to expand it.

Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid made the call during the Governors’ Conference on Thursday, Sept. 3, the second day of the 19th General Assembly of the East Asia Inter-Regional Tourism Federation (EATOF) at Mactan Expo Cebu in Lapu-Lapu City.

Hamid introduced “coopetition,” a combination of competition and cooperation, as a possible approach for EATOF members seeking to increase tourism growth across the region.

“The important question is what if destinations stopped competing for the same visitors and started growing the market together?” Hamid said.

He said the traditional tourism model has destinations competing for the same source markets, airline seats, travel budgets, meetings and events, media attention and international investors.

However, travelers do not view destinations through the same borders and political divisions used by governments, Hamid said.

Visitors from Europe, North America and other markets may not necessarily recognize individual tourism organizations or regional groupings such as EATOF.

Instead, they may view East Asia as a broader region offering different cultures, experiences and journeys.

Hamid said this creates an opportunity for destinations to promote complementary experiences rather than compete solely for the same travelers.

“Instead of hunting over a big slice of the same cake, what if we work together to make the cake bigger?” he said.

Established in 2000, EATOF brings provincial and regional governments in East Asia together to exchange tourism policies, develop partnerships and promote sustainable tourism growth.

The federation currently has 12 members: Cebu Province, Gangwon State in South Korea, Tottori Prefecture in Japan, Jilin Province in China, Sarawak State in Malaysia, Chiang Mai Province in Thailand, Yogyakarta Special Region in Indonesia, Töv Province in Mongolia, Primorsky Krai in Russia, Quang Ninh Province in Vietnam, Luang Prabang Province in Laos and Siem Reap Province in Cambodia.

Cebu is hosting the 19th General Assembly, which opened Wednesday at Mactan Expo Cebu and gathered representatives from member regions, government officials, tourism stakeholders and partners.

During the first day, Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro called for stronger cooperation in tourism and cultural exchanges, sports tourism, connectivity, investment, sustainable destination development and people-to-people exchanges.

She said changing traveler preferences, climate change, environmental pressures, connectivity and rapid development are common challenges that destinations cannot address alone.

Vice Gov. Glenn Soco also positioned Cebu as a gateway connecting East Asian destinations through its airport, ports and people.

He said the assembly could strengthen cooperation not only in tourism but also in business and other areas that affect employment and local communities.

The opening program also featured Cebu’s cultural heritage through a performance by Tribu Lumad Basakanon, which presented the colors and rhythms of the Sinulog to delegates.

The first day also included the launch of the EATOF Climate Resilient Global Tourism Report, which Hamid referenced in his presentation on Thursday.

Hamid said tourism growth would depend not only on marketing but also on how easily visitors can move between destinations.

He identified connectivity, visa facilitation, seamless airport arrivals and visitor mobility as areas where destinations could strengthen cooperation.

Hamid cited a conversation with a minister from Sarawak, who told him that traveling from Cebu to Kuching could take nearly 20 hours.

He said the situation showed the need to improve connectivity within the region, noting that travelers could sometimes reach Europe more easily than neighboring destinations in Asia.

National tourism organizations and destination management organizations also spend millions competing for travelers, airline capacity, events, media coverage and attention at trade shows, Hamid said.

He said destinations could instead devote more resources to improvements that directly affect the visitor experience.

Hamid said the Asia-Pacific region remains one of the world’s strongest tourism growth engines despite geopolitical tensions, conflicts and climate-related challenges.

He cited a PATA forecast of 761.2 million international visitor arrivals in the Asia-Pacific region and noted that the figure represents only a portion of the region’s roughly 4.8 billion people.

The potential for people to travel within the region presents a significant tourism opportunity, he said.

Hamid said the key issue was not whether the tourism market would grow but which destinations would capture that growth.(MyTVCebu)