Asia’s booming tourism industry, a key force driving the region’s economies, has triggered calls for governments to boost investments in vital infrastructure to ensure the industry remains sustainable.

Andrew Herdman, director general of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA), said Asia’s economic growth and rising local incomes had supported robust growth. But Herdman said the industry faces challenges in meeting capacity with additional infrastructure.

… But Phidel Vineles, a senior analyst at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at the Nanyang Technological University, in a recent commentary, said for ASEAN to see further growth in tourism the region needs to invest in sustainable tourism infrastructure and implement a policy of easier access to travel visas.