Tuesday, August 28, 2007 Biz chamber chief suggests developing Asean brand
FRANCHISE chains of restaurants can give a taste of cuisine from all member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in what may be called an Asean food court. Build Asean furniture mega-stores in trading hubs across the globe and set up a hotel chain that is distinctly Asean.
These are just starting areas where the business community in the region can fast-track the region's economic integration as suggested by Philippine Chamber of Commerce of Industry (PCCI) president Samuel Lim in a forum attended by East Asian business leaders Thursday in Makati Coty.
The idea is for investors from at least two-member countries to pool their resources in putting up those Asean branded hotel, restaurant and furniture chains or mega-stores.
The businesses will adopt just one standard. The hotels may set up a common reservation system like those of other hotel chains originating from the West. Lim is known as the father of the franchising industry in the Philippines, which has become one of the fastest growing segments of the domestic economy.
To demonstrate the determination of the Philippines to move Asean economic integration faster, PCCI shared its template for tourism development to other members of the Asean-12, particularly the less developed members, for adoption.
The template was the Five 5s tourism development plan which the Department of Tourism (DOT) asked PCCI help prepare a few years back.
The Five 5s tourism work plan had the specific goals of generating US$5 billion in investments plowed into the Philippine tourism industry in five years, the generation of five million jobs in the same period, a target of five million international tourist arrivals, and US$5 billion in yearly revenues.
The plan, since its implementation, has steadily revived the Philippine tourism industry in the past few years. So far, it has been meeting its five-pronged target. (Philexport News and Features/Sunnex)
