Promoting Regional Tourism Cooperation Under Carec 2030

It suggests this could be done through the identification of opportunities for enhancing and expanding cooperation among member countries in the tourism sector and by maximizing economic opportunities while safeguarding ecosystems. Promoting cooperation in the tourism sector is one of the operational priorities under the CAREC 2030 Strategy. Tourism is also recognized as an effective way of helping developing countries take part in the global economy and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Tourism Strategy 2030 sets out the long-term vision, objectives, programs, and targets to promote sustainable, safe, and inclusive tourism development in the region and enhance its attraction as a competitive tourism destination globally. It builds upon countries’ efforts to develop their tourism sectors as well as existing initiatives being implemented by development partners. It adopts a holistic approach, covering five strategic pillars: connectivity and infrastructure, quality and standards, skills development, marketing and branding, and market intelligence. The strategy also mainstreams six cross-cutting themes: health, safety, and security; digitalization; gender equality; environmental sustainability; private sector participation; and universal access to tourism services.

The Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program, now 16 years in operation, has recorded impressive achievements in regional economic cooperation, particularly in the areas of transport, energy, trade facilitation, and trade policy. From 2001 to end September 2017, investments in member countries under CAREC have amounted to $30.5 billion, covering 182 projects. CAREC 2030 builds on the solid foundation of progress made under CAREC 2020, and provides the new long-term strategic framework for the CAREC Program leading to 2030. CAREC 2030 is aligned with national strategies and with the 2030 global development agenda. It is inspired by a mission to create an open and inclusive platform that connects people, policies and projects for shared and sustainable development.

This book accounts that Bangladesh is a potential destination in South Asia exhibiting a steady growth in its economy along with socio-cultural developments. With a population of over 170 million, the country possesses significant possibilities in (domestic) tourism. This book explicates that increasing number of upper social classes along with their affordability to spend on tourism and leisure activities has recalled attention for the development of this emerging industry. This book comprehensively examines the overall tourism and hospitality contexts in Bangladesh under the lens of current policy and administrative frameworks. In so doing, the contribution of tourism and hospitality industry has been highlighted in the economy of Bangladesh as a means to creating employment opportunities. Further, the book addresses that contributions remain uneven and distributed improperly and to date the tourism industry has not been offered the desired attention in supporting examples in this regard. Nonetheless, tourism and hospitality education and research have been intensifying in recent years across numerous higher academic institutions (e.g. public and private universities) in Bangladesh. This book explores critically the requirement of supportive roles of key tourism and hospitality stakeholders both from public and private domains. Ultimately, the book signifies collaborative and continuous efforts are imperative that partake both the practitioners and the academia in the development and execution of inclusive and functional tourism policy and planning in Bangladesh.

This report analyzes ways that the tourism sector in Asia and the Pacific can leverage regional digital cooperation to ensure long-term resilience, sustainability, and inclusivity. Explaining how countries are looking to “build forward better” to insulate tourism from future shocks, the report studies how digital technology can be used to help change behaviors and stimulate investment. It sets out policy recommendations, considers countries’ capacity and readiness, and shows how utilizing artificial intelligence and other technologies can help spur smart tourism and support economic growth.

Digital transformation can positively impact economic growth, jobs creation, and social inclusion. As the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) region deals with the challenges posed by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, investing in national broadband infrastructure is more crucial than ever to enable connectivity and improve service delivery. Digitalization will allow CAREC member countries to develop robust solutions for areas including agriculture and water, e-commerce and trade, education and skills, energy, finance, health, transportation, and tourism. The CAREC Digital Strategy 2030 is intended as a catalyst for regional cooperation, promoting policy design, capacity building,and dialogue to address economic and social challenges in the region with the help of digital technologies.

The Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Transport Strategy 2030 builds on progress made and lessons learned from the CAREC Transport and Trade Facilitation Strategy 2020. It separates trade facilitation from transport and links to the overall CAREC 2030 program in the areas of enhanced connectivity and sustainability. This strategy underscores increasing sustainability and network quality alongside continued construction and rehabilitation of transport corridors, and places more emphasis on multimodal connectivity, road asset management, road safety, and performance-based maintenance goals. The CAREC Transport Strategy 2030 will be implemented in conjunction with the CAREC Integrated Trade Agenda 2030.