Asean visa can boost tourism, but comes with security risk

 

A joint visa for peninsular Asean has been proposed by Thailand, allowing tourists to travel freely across six countries.

PETALING JAYA: Tourism will get a boost, with ripple effects, if Malaysia signs up for a proposed joint visa programme with five other countries in peninsular Asean, says an economist.

However, a security expert calls for a careful assessment of the countries involved, to prevent compromising national security and to avoid socio-economic harm.

The joint visa programme, suggested by Thailand, would allow tourists to travel freely across Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia.

The proposal was welcomed by economist Geoffrey Williams who said it was long overdue for Asean nations to be integrated through such an initiative.

The programme would allow tourists to gain easier access to countries in peninsular Southeast Asia, allowing them to plan longer and more structured holidays. “This would be more attractive, to share the tourists across multiple countries,” he told FMT.

Tour companies and hotel chains could develop wider Asean packages, and the effects would be felt in other industries, such as among food suppliers, hospitality staff, maintenance personnel, retailers and technology companies, he said.

Malaysia recorded 26.1 million tourist arrivals in 2019, earning RM89.4 billion from inbound tourism, in addition to RM92.6 billion from domestic tourism. Last year, more than 20 million foreign tourists came to Malaysia, according to Tourism Malaysia. This exceeded its target of 19.1 million.

The Asean joint visa was proposed by Thai prime minister Srettha Thavisin who envisaged an arrangement similar to the borderless Schengen area covering 29 countries in Europe.

Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said Malaysia needed more time to consider the proposal.

Collins Chong, a security and strategy analyst with Universiti Malaya, said host nations must carefully assess the countries involved, to prevent compromising national security and avoid socio-economic harm.

“The security risks will depend on the countries selected to enjoy the Schengen-type visa. It’s crucial to exclude high-risk nations to prevent issues such as overstaying and other conventional and non-conventional risks,” he said.

Chong believed that economic benefits cannot come at the expense of Malaysia’s long-term national security.

However, he acknowledged that the tourism dollars that Malaysia would stand to gain would be significant, reaping the benefits of tourists “spilling over” from popular neighbouring countries, particularly Thailand. - FMT