- Email: [email protected]
Pacific economic cooperation conference
RESEARCH
597
NOTES AND REPORTS
To further the goals and objectives of the nation with respect to tourism, USTTA’s 1991 agenda, among other things, provided US tourism interests
better access to international markets; increased awareness of the tourism export market and tourism in general; facilitated entry to small and mediumsized companies into the international market; developed cooperative trade development campaigns with the private sector; implemented the 1990 Presidential Initiative on Rural Development by including tourism as an economic development tool in rural America; initiated new policies to enhance and enrich efforts toward the development of ethnic tourism programs; coordinated tourism trade policies and legislative initiatives and reduced restrictive barriers to the growth of US tourism services; and provided research on international markets to the US tourism industry. Furthermore, in May of 1991, USTTA announced its new marketing campaign slogan of “America. Yours to Discover.” This promotional activity is designed to be a cooperative program with the cities, states, and private sector interests in order to promote America under a central theme to potential international travelers. In summary, the mission of the USTTA is to increase this country’s export earnings through trade in tourism, to formulate national tourism policies, and to conduct marketing programs designed to heighten awareness of the United States as a tourism destination. The recent performance by USTTA appears to suggest the agency is on the right track with respect to increasing the number of international visitors and expenditures to this country. The key for the future will largely depend on the United States’ ability to produce quality tourism products, be extraordinary in responding to technological and other changes in the 9Os, and meeting the competition from the national tourism offices of more than 170 countries. q 0 David Edgell: USTTA,
U.S. Department
of Commerce,
Washiyton
DC 20230,
USA
REFERENCES U.S. Department of Commerce
1988 From Lighthouse to Laserbeams: A History of the U.S. Department of Commerce 1913-1988. Washington DC: U.S. Department ofCommerce. Edgell, David, Sr. 1990 International Tourism Policy. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York. Edgell, David, Sr., and David Edgell, Jr. 1991 Tourism Policy: Selected Readings. West Lafayette IN: Restaurant, and Institutional Management Institute, Purdue University.
Hotel,
Submitted 20 December 1991 Accepted 27 January 1992
Pacific Economic
Cooperation
Conference
Linda Low National
University
of Singapore,
Singapore
The Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference (PECC), formed in 1990, is a tripartite, nongovernmental organization comprising representatives from
598
RESEARCH
NOTES AND REPORTS
business and industry, government, academic, and other intellectual circles. The country members include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Pacific Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Island Nations, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United States. Two other international organizations represented within the PECC are the Pacific Basin Economic Council (PBEC) and the Pacific Trade and Development Conference (PAFTAD). The goal of the PECC (recently renamed the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council) is to serve as a forum for discussion and study of issues concerning economic cooperation among the member committees. Its major forum is the PECC General Meeting. Its Standing Committee is the policymaking body, while its Coordinating Group comprises the coordinators of various PECC task forces, fora, other PECC specialists, and coordinators of the member committees. The task forces constitute the primary mechanism to analyze and suggest policy-oriented programs to attain the PECC’s goal. One of the seven task forces is the Triple T Task Force. The rationale for the formation of the Triple T Task Force in 1989 lies in the commonality among transportation, telecommunications, and tourism sectors in moving people, goods, and services across countries. Since these sectors directly effect economic transactions, cooperation among them is required. The stated objectives of the Triple T Task Force are (a) to encourage research in ways to develop the optimal regional infrastructure for transportation, telecommunications, and tourism industries that will ease the flow of goods, people, money, information, and technologies across countries/regions in the Pacific; (b) based on the above research, to advance and support actionoriented initiatives that will have a demonstration effect on policymakers in the private and public sectors; and (c) to provide specific recommendations to policymakers on what could be done in the Pacific to address inadequacies in the regional infrastructures and make the best use of the developing Triple T technologies and networks. The coordinators of the Triple T Task Force are Japan, Republic of Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. As the first project of the Triple T Study Group in 1988, prior to its upgrading into the Triple T Task Force, it researched into the respective T sectors in the Pacific region, and made future supply and demand projections toward the year 2000, together with policy recommendations. In 1989, the Triple T Conference concluded with recommendations in the broad area of transportation that was studied under the flow of goods and people. Besides physical infrastructure and means of transportation and support systems, attention was also focused on human resource development. The conference also made specific recommendations for tourism: (a) to have basic research, planning, and long-term marketing strategies in policymaking for tourism; (b) to have more joint regional cooperation, especially in regional tourism promotional activities; (c) to have a more systematic apespecially the establishment of proach to human resource development, schools for training tourism personnel and plans for on-the-job training opportunities; (d) to have air ticket reservations and tourist information more transparent and accessible to consumers through improvements (such as in computer reservation systems, tourist bureaus, or the creation of a Pacific Tourist Information System); (e) to have air transport policies liberalized to encourage operational efficiency and better customer services; and (f) to have uniform reporting standards and the creation of a regional tourism databank for the benefit of the region. Many of these recommendations and others interfacing tourism activities with transportation and telecommunications are in the nascent stage of being further studied before implementation. The Triple T Bali Project Meeting (17-19 November 1991) discussed the Triple T Port (Teleport) project. While
RESEARCH
NOTES AND REPORTS
599
this project concentrates on suitable telecommunication development by applying the teleport concept, the development will have immense impact in furthering the synergies among the three Ts. For more information, contact the author. 0 II Linda Low: Department of Business Crescent, Siqapore 051 I, Singapore.
Submitted 20 September 1991 Accepted 24 February 1992
Policy, National
University
of Singapore,
10 Kent Ridge
597
NOTES AND REPORTS
To further the goals and objectives of the nation with respect to tourism, USTTA’s 1991 agenda, among other things, provided US tourism interests
better access to international markets; increased awareness of the tourism export market and tourism in general; facilitated entry to small and mediumsized companies into the international market; developed cooperative trade development campaigns with the private sector; implemented the 1990 Presidential Initiative on Rural Development by including tourism as an economic development tool in rural America; initiated new policies to enhance and enrich efforts toward the development of ethnic tourism programs; coordinated tourism trade policies and legislative initiatives and reduced restrictive barriers to the growth of US tourism services; and provided research on international markets to the US tourism industry. Furthermore, in May of 1991, USTTA announced its new marketing campaign slogan of “America. Yours to Discover.” This promotional activity is designed to be a cooperative program with the cities, states, and private sector interests in order to promote America under a central theme to potential international travelers. In summary, the mission of the USTTA is to increase this country’s export earnings through trade in tourism, to formulate national tourism policies, and to conduct marketing programs designed to heighten awareness of the United States as a tourism destination. The recent performance by USTTA appears to suggest the agency is on the right track with respect to increasing the number of international visitors and expenditures to this country. The key for the future will largely depend on the United States’ ability to produce quality tourism products, be extraordinary in responding to technological and other changes in the 9Os, and meeting the competition from the national tourism offices of more than 170 countries. q 0 David Edgell: USTTA,
U.S. Department
of Commerce,
Washiyton
DC 20230,
USA
REFERENCES U.S. Department of Commerce
1988 From Lighthouse to Laserbeams: A History of the U.S. Department of Commerce 1913-1988. Washington DC: U.S. Department ofCommerce. Edgell, David, Sr. 1990 International Tourism Policy. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York. Edgell, David, Sr., and David Edgell, Jr. 1991 Tourism Policy: Selected Readings. West Lafayette IN: Restaurant, and Institutional Management Institute, Purdue University.
Hotel,
Submitted 20 December 1991 Accepted 27 January 1992
Pacific Economic
Cooperation
Conference
Linda Low National
University
of Singapore,
Singapore
The Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference (PECC), formed in 1990, is a tripartite, nongovernmental organization comprising representatives from
598
RESEARCH
NOTES AND REPORTS
business and industry, government, academic, and other intellectual circles. The country members include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Pacific Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Island Nations, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United States. Two other international organizations represented within the PECC are the Pacific Basin Economic Council (PBEC) and the Pacific Trade and Development Conference (PAFTAD). The goal of the PECC (recently renamed the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council) is to serve as a forum for discussion and study of issues concerning economic cooperation among the member committees. Its major forum is the PECC General Meeting. Its Standing Committee is the policymaking body, while its Coordinating Group comprises the coordinators of various PECC task forces, fora, other PECC specialists, and coordinators of the member committees. The task forces constitute the primary mechanism to analyze and suggest policy-oriented programs to attain the PECC’s goal. One of the seven task forces is the Triple T Task Force. The rationale for the formation of the Triple T Task Force in 1989 lies in the commonality among transportation, telecommunications, and tourism sectors in moving people, goods, and services across countries. Since these sectors directly effect economic transactions, cooperation among them is required. The stated objectives of the Triple T Task Force are (a) to encourage research in ways to develop the optimal regional infrastructure for transportation, telecommunications, and tourism industries that will ease the flow of goods, people, money, information, and technologies across countries/regions in the Pacific; (b) based on the above research, to advance and support actionoriented initiatives that will have a demonstration effect on policymakers in the private and public sectors; and (c) to provide specific recommendations to policymakers on what could be done in the Pacific to address inadequacies in the regional infrastructures and make the best use of the developing Triple T technologies and networks. The coordinators of the Triple T Task Force are Japan, Republic of Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. As the first project of the Triple T Study Group in 1988, prior to its upgrading into the Triple T Task Force, it researched into the respective T sectors in the Pacific region, and made future supply and demand projections toward the year 2000, together with policy recommendations. In 1989, the Triple T Conference concluded with recommendations in the broad area of transportation that was studied under the flow of goods and people. Besides physical infrastructure and means of transportation and support systems, attention was also focused on human resource development. The conference also made specific recommendations for tourism: (a) to have basic research, planning, and long-term marketing strategies in policymaking for tourism; (b) to have more joint regional cooperation, especially in regional tourism promotional activities; (c) to have a more systematic apespecially the establishment of proach to human resource development, schools for training tourism personnel and plans for on-the-job training opportunities; (d) to have air ticket reservations and tourist information more transparent and accessible to consumers through improvements (such as in computer reservation systems, tourist bureaus, or the creation of a Pacific Tourist Information System); (e) to have air transport policies liberalized to encourage operational efficiency and better customer services; and (f) to have uniform reporting standards and the creation of a regional tourism databank for the benefit of the region. Many of these recommendations and others interfacing tourism activities with transportation and telecommunications are in the nascent stage of being further studied before implementation. The Triple T Bali Project Meeting (17-19 November 1991) discussed the Triple T Port (Teleport) project. While
RESEARCH
NOTES AND REPORTS
599
this project concentrates on suitable telecommunication development by applying the teleport concept, the development will have immense impact in furthering the synergies among the three Ts. For more information, contact the author. 0 II Linda Low: Department of Business Crescent, Siqapore 051 I, Singapore.
Submitted 20 September 1991 Accepted 24 February 1992
Policy, National
University
of Singapore,
10 Kent Ridge