Welcome to the 10th Edition of our Mekong Tourism e-Newsletter
The summer has ended, and the fall or autumn is already in full swing. I am pleased to announce that MekongTourism.org won the PATA Gold Award in the Website category. We also congratulate Thailand for winning a PATA Grand and a PATA Gold Award - please see group photo above: PATA Gold Awards 2016 Winners from the GMS. From Left to Right: Daw Khin Than Win - Deputy Director General, Myanmar Ministry of Hotels & Tourism; Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes - Director, Macau Government Tourism Office; Jens Thraenhart - Executive Director, MTCO; Mario Hardy - CEO, Ms. Chompu Marusachot, TAT Director of TAT Marketing Information Technology Group (PATA Grand Award: One and Only Project in Discover Thainess Campaign), Mr. Vinid Rungpueng, TAT Director of Promotional Material Production (PATA Gold Award: Thailand from the Air)
While we are honoured by the industry recognition, our work has only just begun! The objective of the website is to become a ‘digital hub for collaboration’ for travel and tourism professionals willing to contribute their expertise for the greater good of the Mekong region. In the GMS we have a tremendous amount of passion and expertise from individuals and companies who are willing to share and to contribute. The key for us is to encourage and facilitate that; to develop a digital platform that can unleash that passion and expertise. To that end MekongTourism.org allows us to curate contributed content, publish it, and promote it via social media.
The website includes the freely accessible Mekong Tourism e-library. The e-library is a valuable collection of documents; from reports to training manuals; available for free download. Please find a selection of links to recent library items at the bottom of this newsletter. In addition to the e-library, we are working to further enhance MekongTourism.org by developing a community of active contributors, divided into travel storytellers and tourism experts (please find an item about that in this newsletter), a showcase of responsible tourism experiences, a directory of multi-country journeys and river cruises, as well as a collection of stories about tourism’s impact on people in the GMS. It is early days but please find previews and links to some of our fresh content in this newsletter.
We look forward to your feedback and collaborating with you in the achievement of our collective goals!
Jens Thraenhart
Executive Director, MTCO
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Mekong: 3 of 13 World Responsible Tourism Awards Finalists
Friends International’s Childsafe Movement and Sam Veasna Centre, both in Cambodia, and Sapa O’Chau in Vietnam are among the 13 finalists of the 2016 World Responsible Tourism Awards. They now await the Awards ceremony, November 8, at World Travel Market in London ...
Read more about it ...
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Post-Quake Bagan Safe & Open for Business
Myanmar's Ministry of Hotels and Tourism is keen to reassure travellers that Bagan, a cultural heritage hotspot and tourism destination, is once again safe and open for business. The area was rocked by an earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale on August 24 ...
Read more about it ...
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Mekong Forum: Integration Needed for Inclusive Growth
Mekong Institute (MI) hosted its Mekong Forum 2016, August 29, where it was agreed that integration and regional support were needed to establish inclusive growth in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) ...
Read more about it ...
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Cambodia Luxury Tourism: A Model for Others to Follow
"In Cambodia luxury tourism appears to be about offering guests a private luxury escape, but one with a clear difference," writes Mark Bibby Jackson. He talks to several tourism stakeholders to find out why, today, luxury is about more than pampering ...
Read more about it ...
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Millennials Seek Authentic Travel Experiences
While often labelled narcissistic and social media-obsessed, millennials are searching for more “authentic” travel experiences when visiting Southeast Asia than older generations, according to industry experts. ...
Read more about it ...
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Seniors, Wellness, Health Tourism a Focus for Hechi, Guangxi
More than its mountains, its fauna or its flora, Hechi in Guangxi Province recently gained fame due to its senior citizens. Nowhere else in China is there a city with such a high number of people in their 80s, 90s, and 100s. And that's sparked some ideas on how to promote tourism ...
Read more about it ...
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PATA to Reward Secondary, Tertiary Destinations
New and emerging Mekong destinations deserve to be recognised. The PATA CEO Challenge will be celebrating second- and third-tier destinations that boast outstanding accommodations, attractions and restaurants for all types of travellers. Albay, Philippines was one of last year's winners. Winners of this year’s competition will enjoy ...
Read more about it ...
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MTCO Endorses Global Travel Challenge 2016
The Global Travel Entrepreneur Challenge is a competition for millennials and young professionals that have an interest in building and operating their own successful travel startup. Young entrepreneurs and students between the ages of 18 and 35 are encouraged to join ...
Read more about it ...
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MTCO Seeks Expert Contributors
Subject matter experts, such as consultants, company executives, journalists and industry bloggers, who are active in GMS travel & tourism, are eligible to become “Official Mekong Tourism Experts“.
In return for providing regular (non-exclusive) business-, trade- or policy-related content, Experts will be featured in our online directory with a short bio and photo and a link to their blog or website. Active Experts will also receive the embed code for a digital badge that can be added to their blog or website.
Official Mekong Tourism Experts will be listed in a directory that is searchable by expertise; invited to participate in an annual Mekong travel trends book; considered to be featured in this monthly e-newsletter; invited to speak at Mekong Tourism events, such as the Mekong Tourism Forum; quoted in relevant Mekong Tourism press releases; and may even be engaged by Mekong Tourism partners to consult or advise on projects ...
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e-Library: 'Tourist Arrivals and Inclusive Growth'
A key message from this Mekong Tourism e-library item by APEC: "Empirical evidence shows that tourism development has a positive impact on poverty reduction and inclusive growth ... every 1% increase in tourist arrivals is associated with a 0.12% reduction in the number of poor people ... tourism contributes to inclusive growth by providing the poor with more opportunities for employment ..."
Read more about it ...
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e-Library: 'Air Connectivity & its Impact on Tourism in Asia & the Pacific'
This addition to Mekong Tourism's online library takes a look at air connectivity in Asia and the Pacifi c. Through case studies presented in the 2014 United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) report, the authors conclude that improvements in air connectivity have positive effects on a city's tourism sector and broader economy.
Read more about it ...
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e-Library: '15 Years of the UNWTO World Tourism Network on Child Protection: A Compilation of Good Practices'
In this addition to Mekong Tourism's e-library, the UNWTO compiles 16 case studies that demonstrate the variety of viable strategies and actions that have been taken to protect children from exploitation in tourism; and to serve as a source of inspiration for those involved in responsible tourism development.
Read more about it ...
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e-Library: 'ASEAN 2030: Toward a Borderless Economic Community'
This addition to Mekong Tourism's library analyses the long-term economic development aspirations, challenges, and policy options for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The study was conducted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Institute in close consultation with the ASEAN Secretariat and the ADB.
Read more about it ...
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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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