The establishment of a unified tourist visa in Southeast Asia is among the topics set to be covered by the tourism ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states during a high-level gathering in Cebu this week.
Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco confirmed this ahead of the ministerial meetings that will take place during the three-day ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) from Jan. 29 to 30.
“As part of the ASEAN tourism strategic plan (ATSP), there is a priority on seamless access and accessibility overall to the region, and therefore visa-free access and unified visas may be taken up as a component of the ATSP,” she said in an interview on the margins of the 2026 ASEAN Travel Exchange at Mactan Expo.
The Tourism chief said all ASEAN member states are committed to position Southeast Asia as “one unified destination.”
Meanwhile, she declined to provide details when asked what markets ASEAN is looking to prioritize with this future unified visa.
“I really would not want to preempt our fellow ASEAN ministers. Only that the desire is for us to be able to develop the ASEAN region in a manner that will allow benefits to be felt across the region,” she said.
“We can certainly both learn from each other and benefit from each other’s tourism flows,” she added.
Frasco, along with First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, led the formal opening of the ATF on Wednesday.
The event is part of the week-long ASEAN-related meetings taking place in Cebu under the Philippine ASEAN chairship. (PNA)
