Professional Documents
Culture Documents
BY
PNOTPORN JANTARAKOLICA
(Milly) G.1109
Single Visa Benefits ASEAN Jantarakolica Pnotporn (Milly) G.1109
ASEAN emerged a long time ago, however, many people are not aware of this. ASEAN
or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is the cooperation between 10 member states;
Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, Vietnam, Brunei, and
Philippines. They all have the same goal which is to boost economic growth and social
progress. One of the highlights that ASEAN has developed is called the single visa. This
allows people from ASEAN to travel between member countries without a visa while other
countries are able to travel to ASEAN countries with just one visa. The plus three of ASEAN
countries which are Japan, China, and South Korea are also included. By this, it helps attract
more tourists, gain more investment, and increase job opportunities. ASEAN has become one
of the largest economies in the world and it continues to grow. In the future, the single visa
will have a huge impact towards the world and ASEAN would become more powerful.
Therefore, implementing single visa in ASEAN gain more benefits than disadvantages.
Tourists are more likely to travel to ASEAN countries using the single visa. Single visa
makes it more convenient to travel and tourists think that it is worth buying a visa that could
take you to ten countries rather than a country. According to World Tourism Organization
(UNWTO) and World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), there are various places to travel
to, however, there are many factors that makes tourists attracted to ASEAN countries (The
Impact of Visa Facilitation in ASEAN Member States, 2014). Each ASEAN countries are
diverse and there are many places that tourists could explore. Suppose there is no single visa,
tourists would not be willing to go to 10 embassies to gain all of the visa to explore the
culture of these countries since it is a waste of time. An example of this is how visa affects
the decision of a particular person traveling to other countries. Hence, Ei Ei Thu (2016) from
Myanmar Times have stated in a newspaper, in order to travel to a neighbor country, having
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Single Visa Benefits ASEAN Jantarakolica Pnotporn (Milly) G.1109
to get a visa might change someones mind not to travel there. Besides people from other
countries, people within ASEAN countries are able to travel to one another easily too. Since
ASEAN members states citizens do not have to spend money on visa at all, they are more
likely to visit one another. Currently, there are evidences that single visa has actually
improved tourism in ASEAN. Tiffany Misrahi (n.d.), a writer in Travel & Tourism Industries
and World Economic Forum, stated that there has been goals and observations in the amount
of tourists traveling to ASEAN countries. ASEAN has been predicted to increase its target of
destination by about 10.4% on average. By improving the visa, it has an ambition to gain 6 to
10 million foreigners within 2016 which is 3 to 5.1 percent above the assumption that has
been made before. People believe that by creating single visa, it would increase tourism by a
high percentage and that it would increase at a higher rate every year. Single visa shows an
effortless pathway to travel to ASEAN countries. People are able to explore variety of
cultures with none or just a single visa. Therefore, single visa will definitely attract more
The single visa helps make the single market in ASEAN attract more people to invest in
ASEAN. Since the investors are able to target diverse and numerous amount of customers,
they are more likely to invest in ASEAN comparing to other countries. Noel Quinn (2013),
from South China Morning Post, has stated that besides the people in ASEAN itself, there are
massive amount of tourists entering it. By having the single visa, it eliminates trade barriers
and makes it easier for investors to enter ASEAN since each country are spending more on
routes which makes it easier to travel to. Investors are able to enter ASEAN countries with
just a railroad instead of changing trucks multiple times. Single visa allows ASEAN to spend
money on improving railroads and building more of them in order to help with trade. There
has been evidence from ASEAN Investment Report 2015 that ASEAN investment has
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Single Visa Benefits ASEAN Jantarakolica Pnotporn (Milly) G.1109
improved throughout these past years (ASEAN Investment Report 2015 Infrastructure
Investment and Connectivity, 2015). Intra- ASEAN investment has increased by 26% from
19.4 to 24.4 dollars during 2013 to 2014. ASEAN has been a major source of FDI since the
FDI rises by 19%. Since the ASEAN open up for a big opportunity for investment overseas,
investors are more likely to invest. A Southeast Asias Business News and Sites and ASEAN
Briefing Business Intelligence from Dezan Shira & Associates has stated that ASEAN is
developing a single visa which is for business people only (ASEAN to Launch Business
Traveler Card By 2015, 2013). They are considering about making special immigrant lanes
for investors which is called the ASEAN Business Travel Card. This card allows business
travelers to stay in ASEAN countries for two to four weeks temporary visa. This allows a
great opportunity for business investor to travel to invest in ASEAN countries due to its
convenience. Single visa helps create an efficient pathway for investors to travel and invest in
ASEAN. Since they have plans to improve railroads and trade barriers is eliminated, single
visa would benefit the investors making them invest more in ASEAN.
Some people believe that single visa would cause conflicts in terms of labors. However,
this is wrong because free flow of labors would gain various advantages towards ASEAN
member states. The Diplomat has published news about how single visa could response to
labors in a bad way (Hunt, 2014). Many people believe that by implementing the free flow of
skilled labors, it would become a big challenge for many countries. Under-qualified laborers
could be out of work since they might have poor working skills and foreign language
difficulty. There would also be lack in number of jobs, but high competitions for jobs at the
same time. By having the single visa, it enhances the chance that people from other ASEAN
countries are going to steal jobs from the citizens in that country. Therefore, this could cause
lots of people to lose their jobs. On the contrary, a journal from Migration Policy Institute has
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Single Visa Benefits ASEAN Jantarakolica Pnotporn (Milly) G.1109
stated the benefits of single visa towards labors (Sugiyarto & Mendoza, 2014). Many people
have misunderstood single visa policy as free flow of labors. Although it is freer flow of
skilled labors. By this, they allow work permits for laborers, but it does not mean that anyone
could enter any country and go to work. It has stated that skilled labors would be able to enter
each country and this will not cause further competition. In order to enter other country,
individuals would have to gain license which they would have to take tests. Single visa
allows opportunity for best or skilled labors to be able to work in other countries and the
employer to hire them at cheaper rates. Besides, they do not accept all jobs, but they only
accept professional jobs such as doctors and engineers. Thus, the idealistic in which single
visa will cause conflicts for laborers is completely mistaken. Not only this, an ASEAN
website has stated that by having free movement of labors, this would increase the quality of
laborers in each country (Preferred Workforce, n.d.). The false rumors that had been widely
spread is that the unqualified labors will be out of jobs. However, there is another point of
view that they havent considered. It is an opportunity for these people to improve
themselves. By having an environment in which there are skilled labors, people whom are not
as good may take this chance as an opportunity to improve themselves. Such as boosting their
English skills. By having the single visa, it does not decrease the rate of people being hired,
but it forces the people in these countries to become better. Skilled labors are able to travel
easily with work permit due to single visa. Due to the fact that people misunderstood the way
single visa works toward laborers, they think it is bad. Although this is not true at all because
single visa gives opportunity for skilled laborers to work at other countries and furthermore
increase the qualities of workers. Single visa allows freer flow of laborers and help develop
Conclusion
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Single Visa Benefits ASEAN Jantarakolica Pnotporn (Milly) G.1109
Single visa benefits ASEAN in various ways. Organizations have stated that by
implementing single visa, it attracts more tourists making them travel to ASEAN countries.
ASEAN Investment Reports have shown evidence of single visa help increasing investments
since the investors gain numerous targets with an efficient way of entering these countries. A
journal from Migration Policy Institute has explained that skilled laborers would have the
opportunity to work at other countries by using the single visa as a medium which would
improve the qualities of laborers. Overall, single visa benefit ASEAN countries as a whole. It
boosts global economy affecting various of countries. Therefore, single visa would become a
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Single Visa Benefits ASEAN Jantarakolica Pnotporn (Milly) G.1109
References
ASEAN Investment Report 2015 Infrastructure Investment and Connectivity (2015). Jakarta:
ASEAN Secretariat
ASEAN to Launch Business Traveler Card By 2015 (2013). Retrieved February 11, 2017
from http://www.aseanbriefing.com/news/2013/05/03/asean-to-launch-business-
traveler-card-by-2015.html
Hunt, L. (2014). ASEAN Economic Community: What Could Go Wrong? Retrieved February
could-go-wrong/
Misrahi, T. (n.d.). ASEAN may have 10 nations but it should only have one visa. Retrieved
travel-destination/
http://investasean.asean.org/index.php/page/view/reasons-for-
investing/view/671/newsid/737/preferred-workforce.html
Quinn, N. (2013). 600 million reasons to invest in Asean. Retrieved February 10, 2017 from
http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1324501/600-million-reasons-
invest-asean
Sugiyarto, G., & Mendoza, D. (2014). A Freer Flow Skilled Labour within ASEAN:
within-asean-aspirations-opportunities-and-challenges-2015
The Impact of Visa Facilitation in ASEAN Member States (2014). Madrid: UNWTO
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Single Visa Benefits ASEAN Jantarakolica Pnotporn (Milly) G.1109
Thu, E. (2016). Five countries discuss single-visa scheme. Retrieved January 20, 2017 from
http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/20999-five-countries-discuss-
single-visa-scheme.html