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Tourism
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2000-03-27 18:43:00-05
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Travel Group Recommends ways to increase Tourism
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Improve travel infrastructure and ease visa processing among ideas suggested by regional travel group
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According to the Pacific Asia Travel Association, regional countries need to invest in transportation infrastructure to stimulate tourism. In the wake of the economic crisis, Asian countries have increased tourism promotion, but such efforts will be wasted the association says, if tourists are not able to reach their destination because of poor transportation within a country. Improvement of road networks is seen as vital in this regard. Other considerations that affect tourism, according to the group, are economic liberalization, socio-political stability, visa requirements, travel taxes, documentation, customs and health regulations and regulations at borders and other points of entry. The report stressed the importance between balancing the incoming flow of tourists as against the need for procedures to control the flow, the association said. Measures to promote tourism, which the association wished to see adopted are: the granting of visas on arrival, adopting a simplified, machine-readable visa form, using the Internet for accepting visa applications and payment and increasing the amount of currency let into the country.
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