> The East-West Wire is a news service provided by the East-West Center in

> Honolulu. Any or all of this report may be used with attribution to the

> East-West Center or to the person quoted. For information, contact Susan

> Kreifels at (808) 944-7176 or eastwestwire@eastwestcenter.org.

>

> For a directory of East-West Wire reports, see

> http://www.eastwestcenter.org/events-en.asp

> For daily news on the Pacific Islands, see www.pireport.org

> For links to all East-West Center media programs and services, see

> www.eastwestcenter.org/journalists

>

>

> Two East-West Center publications:

>

> 1. Corazon C. Aquino, former president of the Philippines, commented on

> her disillusionment with Philippine politics, on the recent election in

> her country, and on her concept of "People Power People," in a speech she

> delivered at the recent East-West Center Foundation dinner, where Aquino

> received the East-West Center's Asia Pacific Community Building Award. See

> her speech at http://foundation.eastwestcenter.org/

>

> 2. Tourism in a 'Borderless' World: The Singapore Experience, by T.C.

> Chang. AsiaPacific Issues, No. 73. Honolulu: East-West Center, May 2004. 8

> pp. Paper, $2.50. Also available online at

> http://www.EastWestCenter.org/find.asp?it=api073.

>

> The development of tourist destinations that transcend national borders,

> first envisioned in the 1950s, gained momentum in the 1990s. Whether

> facilitated by large regional organizations such as the Association of

> Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) or bilateral agreements, countries --

> especially smaller ones -- have worked to identify and leverage their

> neighbor's strengths. Singapore, for example, adopted a national tourism

> plan based on the concept of "borrowed attractiveness." It has compensated

> for its limited natural resources and high costs by collaborating with

> Indonesia and Malaysia, which contribute cheaper labor and land in

> exchange for infrastructure, financing, and expertise. The city-state also

> aggressively sells its tourism expertise overseas and aspires to be Asia's

> tourism hub. But Singapore's experience demonstrates that regional

> tourism, while diversifying tourism development opportunities, can also

> perpetuate inequities between wealthier and poorer collaborators and

> present serious challenges to businesses operating in unfamiliar settings.

>