ADB supporting tourism development in South Asia

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the 5 participating countries of the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) held the Inception Workshop for the SASEC Tourism Development Project in Paro, Bhutan from 26 to 27 July 2007.

The workshop reviewed the progress of the SASEC Tourism Development Plan and identified areas for action towards achieving common goals and programmes of the plan. It also discussed the inception report and the preliminary findings of the technical assistance grant for the SASEC Tourism Development Project.

The grant helps the countries jointly develop multi-country circuits associated with spiritual tourism and nature- and culture-based ecotourism. It also helps assess the feasibility and design of a package of priority investments in tourism-related infrastructure and facilities in selected multi-country circuits that will result in increased arrivals and lengthened stay of tourists in the subregion. In the coming weeks, ADB and the participating countries will further refine a proposed investment package that will include subregional circuits and the required infrastructure to be developed in the short, medium and long term period.

“The proposed project will incorporate measures to ensure that local communities share the benefits of tourism growth; the fragile cultural and natural heritage is conserved; and private sector participation is maximized in managing the tourism infrastructure and assets,” says Ms. Gulfer Cezayirli, Principal Urban Development Specialist of ADB.
The South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation tourism working group was launched in 2001 with ADB assistance to support and facilitate regional cooperation initiatives. The group’s member countries include Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.