Presentations in Dili, Timor Leste on 2 Dec 2019 for ADB project on cross-border trade & tourism.

1. CROSS-BORDER TRADE AND COOPERATION
BETWEEN INDONESIAAND TIMOR-LESTE
Tourism Asset Mapping & Joint Tourism Itineraries
Steve Noakes
Tourism Specialist
Jakarta, 02 December 2019

2. Objective
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1) Tourism & Cross-Border Cooperation & Integration
2) ADB Technical Assistance
- Support Ministries of Tourism in Indonesia and Timor Leste to conduct a
tourism asset mapping exercise to:
a) Identify opportunities
b) Recommend joint tourism itineraries – land, air or sea
3) Tourism benefits:
a) generating jobs, investment and growth for cross-border communities;
b) stimulates improved and/or new transportation and communications networks & facilities;
c) can build brand value, image & identity for destination ‘Timor’;
d) informs & motivates local tourism suppliers to achieve national & international standards of
service delivery
e) contributes to retaining cultural integrity and improving environmental resources etc.

3. Tourism & Cross-Border Cooperation & Integration
• Cross-border tourism is an important part of of international cooperation
• Cross-border destinations:
a) often have similar historical & cultural traditions, and natural landscapes
b) should both benefit from cooperation in areas of access, product development and destination
marketing
c) can jointly address issues such as land, air & sea connectivity
d) create more diverse and differentiated products for tourists
e) generate economies of scale to make scarce marketing resources more effective
f) require international partnerships with government, tour operators, tourism & business
organisations, community groups
g) need to align with Sustainable Development Goals of partner countries – particularly in
relation to environmental protection and gender equality
(ADB Technical Assistance Report, July 2019)
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4. ADB Technical Assistance
So far:
• One field trip to Dili – resulted in an Inception Report – includes SWOT analysis
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Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats
• Warm tropical
destination
• Marine tourism
attraction
• Integrity of local
cultures
• Island tourism
• History/Heritage tourism
• Topography of Timor
Island
• Destination awareness
• Access – includes
connectivity and quality
of road, marine and air
transport networks
• Tourism product offer
• Human resources for
tourism & hospitality
• Enterprise development
for cross-border tourism
• Tourism within national
development plans
(Indonesia & Timor Leste)
• Joint tourism asset
mapping
• Joint destination marketing
& branding (Timor)
• Concept of ‘One Island.
Two Nations’
• Air & marine infrastructure
collaboration
• Economic growth to
marginalised border areas
• Work towards ASEAN
guidelines & standards
• Any substantial
policy changes
• Lack of commitment
& resources by GOI
or GOTL
• Expanding any new
destination brand
too broadly away
from ‘One Island.
Two Nations’
• Increased access
costs – especially
airfares

5. Key next steps
• Confirm scope of the ADB TA between GOI & GOTL - noting:
- Complete the tourism MOU
- Agreement on geographical scope of this project - consider:
* ‘One Island. Two Nations’ = Timor Barat + Timor Leste
* Linkage with ‘Destination NTT’ = about 566 islands – with the more well known
destinations being Komodo N.P. Labuan Bajo & Mount Kelimutu
• Initial report – review of tourism assets from field trips, collection of data etc (by 27 Dec 2019)
• Draft tourism asset mapping report (to build potential cross-border itineraries) - list assets, map
itineraries, major gaps identified, opportunities & recommendations for joint itineraries –
short/medium/long-term itineraries (by 31 March 2020)
• Final tourism asset mapping report – to be validated by GoTL and GOI (by 30 June 2020)
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6. Sea Connectivity
on Timor Island

7. CROSS-BORDER TRADE AND COOPERATION
BETWEEN INDONESIAAND TIMOR-LESTE
OUTCOMES:
Joint Task Force Meeting.
Dili, Timor Leste
Monday 9 December 2019
Steve Noakes,
Tourism Specialist - Asian Development Bank

8. Outcomes - discussion on tourism MOU
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Issues discussed:
- Finalization of the text and procedure for signing
- Date for signing
- Planned activities leading to and after signing

9. MOU Tourism: Outcomes of today’s meeting
Versions:
(1) Indonesia (23 May 2018)
(2) Timor Leste (3 Sept 2019)
(3) JTF (9 Dec 2019)
Target dates:
 Mid January 2020, GOI to provide proposed article on ‘creative economy’ cooperation
31 January 2020.
Latest for GOI and Timor Leste to respond
31 March 2020
Latest for joint signing
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10. Key items:
1. Retain the focus on the island of Timor: ‘One Island. Two Nations’ – rather
than the whole of NTT
2. Broader engagement of stakeholders - expand the MOU from just
‘operators’ to ‘tourism institutions’
3. Update the GOI post-election name for MOT to include ‘Creative Economy’
4. Include capacity for meetings via video link (not just ‘face-to-face’)
5. Change title of Article 8 ‘Limitation of personnel’ – suggestion ‘National
policy alignment’
6. Make the MOU applicable for 3 year time-frame, renewable subject to
agreement
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11. Good outcome from today.
MOU working document
Initialed by
GOI,GTL & ADB
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