Dear Mekong Tourism stakeholder,
Normally World Travel Mart in London marks the end of the busy tourism industry period of the year, but it looks like things are still going for a few more weeks. We skipped WTM, but we know that the Mekong Region was well represented.
Last week was my first time to Nakhon Phanom, in Northeastern Thailand, the venue of the next Mekong Tourism Forum 2018, hosted by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand. I have to say I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the little town at the Mekong river, bordering to Laos. The local TAT office went out of their way to show us around, and their excitement of being the host was truly amazing. We were greeted by the Governor of Nakhon Phanom Province, and visited some of the ethnic villages around town. We are looking to plan yet another very unique and very different event, which will showcase a hidden secret in the Greater Mekong Subregion. Please stay tuned, and mark your calendars for June 27-28, 2018.
We are also excited to be joining the first Cambodia Travel Mart in Siem Reap from November 17-19. The Ministry of Tourism Cambodia graciously extended a booth for us to showcase our programs and initiatives and we will giving a seminar on the importance of storytelling to educate the travel industry. Please say hello if you will be attending CTM.
We look forward to hearing from you as always, and hope you enjoy this week's newsletter. And remember: sharing is caring.
Have a great week!
Jens Thraenhart
Executive Director, MTCO
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News & Articles of the Week
News & articles that caught our attention over the past week:
Mr. Tanes Petsuwan, Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications of TAT, explained the Million Shades of Thailand concept’s three areas of focus, “the 3Ns, which are New Destinations, New Segmentation and New Product”.. ... Read more about it.
“With over 200 international companies from around the world, CTM will be a great forum for the tourism sector in the Asia Pacific region,” said Dr. Thong Khon, Cambodia’s Minister of Tourism.. ... Read more about it.
The Association of Southeast Asian Social Enterprises for Training in Hospitality & Catering, 14 schools, located in various cities of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, have decided to work hand in hand to better fulfil their common mission: bringing positive change in the lives of vulnerable youths and adults.. ... To register, please visit.
“As regional transport networks expand, tourism grows, and agricultural and industrial trade integrates across the region, the greatest challenge will be implementing the GMS CBTA fully,” the new Asian Economic Integration Report 2017 report said. ... Read more about it.
The Muslim Travel Market already represents around 10 per cent of the global travel market, (and hence) is not really a niche market. In fact, in terms of international visitor arrivals, it is as big as the Chinese outbound market.. ... Read more about it.
Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith invited people from around the world to visit the nation in remarks he delivered to officially launch ‘Visit Laos Year 2018’ in front of the capital’s revered That Luang Stupa. ... Read more about it.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) continues to expand the ‘12 Hidden Gems’ campaign that encourages visitors to go off the beaten path and discover new Thai local experiences in emerging destinations around the kingdom. ... Read more about it.
Our friends at EXO Travel asked us to spread the news about a great job opportunity to assist the Director of People Development and in-country regional trainers, design course
materials and lead EXO Academy training programs across all EXO Travel destinations. ... Read more about it.
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Recent Additions to the Mekong Tourism e-Library
Edition 4 of The Olive Tree, the first and only publication designed to help travel & tourism become a more enthusiastic part of the solution in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.. ... Download for free.
In 2004-2005, at the request of the GMS TWG and with the support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the first GMS Tourism Sector Strategy (GMS TSS) was formulated. In 2016, the GMS TWG updated the document to guide subregional tourism cooperation through 2025. ... Download for free.
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MTCO Seeks e-Library Contributions
In addition to economic reports, statistical analyses, industry studies, and much more, the Mekong Tourism e-Library hosts contributions in the following new categories:
Multi-Country Journeys & Mekong River Cruises
Tour and cruise operators offering multi-destination tours and cruises (defined as tours or cruises that visit more than one Mekong-region country) are welcome to send their eligible itineraries in PDF format. The objective is to develop a resource for those seeking Mekong experiences for their customers (or themselves).
Tourism Development Projects
Economic development agencies (bilateral or multilateral) and non-government organisations (NGOs) are encouraged to send, in PDF format, scopes of work, terms of reference, reports, and case studies pertaining to tourism-related projects in the Mekong region. The objective is to develop a resource for all Mekong tourism stakeholders.
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MTCO Seeks Tourism Experts
Subject matter experts, such as consultants, executives, and industry journalists, who are active in GMS travel & tourism, are eligible to become “Mekong Tourism Experts“. In return for regular (non-exclusive) business-, trade- or policy-related content, Experts will receive a range of profile-enhancing benefits ... View and register.
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MTCO Seeks Travel Storytellers
MTCO welcomes anyone with a passion for storytelling who wishes to share their unique and unusual travel experiences: multi-destination Mekong journeys and experiences linked to social, cultural, or environmental causes. In return for regular content, Storytellers will receive a range of profile-enhancing benefits ... View and register.
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Mekong Tourism is a collaborative effort between Cambodia, China, Lao, Myanmar, Thailand,
and Vietnam to promote the Greater Mekong Subregion as a single tourism destination.
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