Dear Mekong Tourism Stakeholder,
Congratulations to the GMS Tourism Working Group and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of PR China for hosting a successful 2019 Mekong Tourism Forum in Dali, Yunnan!
Hosted in Dali and Xizhou in beautiful Yunnan from May 28-29, 2019, this year's Mekong Tourism Forum again innovated with an experiential concept to drive inclusive tourism and to promote sustainability.
The first day engaged the over 250 delegates with sessions focused on the theme “Tourism – a driver for cultural heritage preservation and poverty alleviation”.
The second day took delegates to Xizhou Ancient Town part of the Dali Prefecture, to experience how tourism and culture are tightly interlinked, and preservation and conservation are critical to ensure sustainability.
The 2020 Mekong Tourism Forum will be held in Mandalay, Myanmar, currently scheduled for end of May of next year. We hope to see everybody there. We love to hear about any ideas for concept, theme, and speaker suggestions.
Kind regards,
Jens Thraenhart
Executive Director
Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO)
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Impressions from the 43rd Tourism Working Group Meeting in Dali, Yunnan, China
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Heads of delegation of the GMS MTCO Board (from left to right)): ADB, Cambodia, Myanmar, PR China, Thailand, Lao PDR, Viet Nam, Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office
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Impressions from the 2019 Mekong Tourism Forum, 1st Day in Dali
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Steven Schipani of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) introduces the panel focused on sustainable tourism development projects driving poverty alleviation and inclusive growth.
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Ma Jinzhong on how the development of tourism stimulates poverty alleviation in villages (left) and Jens Thraenhart presenting the new Experience Mekong Collection website experiencemekong.org |
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Brian Linden founder of the Linden Centre in Xizhou presenting rail tourism as a driver for sustainability in the GMS (left). Mei Zhang, a Dali native and founder of award-winning travel company Wild China told her own personal journey of showcasing authentic travel experiences in Yunnan.
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Impressions from the 2019 Mekong Tourism Forum, 2nd Day in Xizhou
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The Cultural Immersion Experience in the ancient heritage town of Xizhou connected delegates with the local community, after visiting the famous Three Pagodas.
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Flag Handover to the next host of the 2020 Mekong Tourism Forum: Myanmar
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Mr Zhang Xilong from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of PR China hands the flags over to Ms Khin Than Win from the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism of Myanmar, together with Jens Thraenhart of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office.
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Arival is the event dedicated to advancing the business of creating amazing in-destination experiences.It is targeted at Tours, Activities & Attractions as the major sector of the travel and tourism industry. Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office is a partner in Arival Bangkok to increase the awareness of responsible in-destination experiences. Please use our 10% discount code BKPTCM19.
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Featured Mekong Tourism Campaign
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Remember to share your experiences on your own social media in video format of 60 seconds or less by tagging with #MekongMinis. Be part of promoting the Mekong Region in a collaborative way, and get a chance to win exciting prizes. For any organization, please contact us to learn how you can participate and increase exposure for your business.
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Featured shared experiences from MekongMoments.com
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Share your experiences in the Mekong Region on your own social media (Instagram, Twitter, YouTube), and tag with #MekongMoments #<country> #<business>. Visit MekongMoments.info to learn how to list your business for free.
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The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has adopted a simplified “A-B-C Strategy” to promote emerging tourist destinations by creating inter-linked, theme-related travel routes that better distribute visitor flows nationwide.
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Cambodia Tourism Marketing and Promotion Board, a joint institution between the government and the private sector, is studying a new strategy to attract more foreign visitors to the Kingdom, Minister of Tourism Thong Khon said.
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China’s outbound tourism market is set to surpass the USD270 billion threshold by 2025, according to a Reportocean.com report released Tuesday.
Covering travel from China to 26 nations the report underscores China’s leadership in the global outbound travel market.
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Recent Additions to the Mekong Tourism e-Library
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The Sustainable Tourism Index: Enhancing the global travel environment
Tourism, as with most industries, exerts both positive and negative influences on the world. On the plus side, the sector’s economic contribution is enormous. On the opposite side, it places enormous pressure on the environment. It is estimated that tourism’s share of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions has been about 5% and is expected to grow in the coming years.
Download here
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Greater Mekong Subregion Regional Investment Framework 2022
The Regional Investment Framework 2022 is the medium-term pipeline of priority projects in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). It is a consolidation and expansion of the earlier Regional Investment Framework 2013-2022 and the Revised Regional Investment Framework Implementation Plan 2014-2020.
Download here
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Featured Experience Mekong Collection Member
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Sanon Training Restaurant, enjoy contemporary Burmese cuisine! Enter through the garden where you’ll discover our vocational training restaurant flowing from the inside, out into the lush garden, exposing brick walls with locally inspired sculptures throughout. You’ll experience our tapas-style menu of creative cuisine to truly traditional dishes, refreshing smoothies & cocktails. The Sanon Training Restaurant is operated by the MYDI (Myanmar Youth Development Institute). MYDI conducts Sanon as a not for profit social enterprise organisation in Nyaung U, Bagan, Myanmar.
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The Experience Mekong Collection (EMC) curates small businesses that focus on sustainable and responsible practices to create a unique experiences for guests. Anybody can nominate businesses to be included in the Experience Mekong Collection, and an advisory board of tourism experts vets nominations for integrity and relevance. In partnership with Mahidol University, each year, one business per country (six in total) is selected to be one of the Experience Mekong Collection Showcases, with case studies to highlighting the nature and innovation of the business. Nominate your favorite small responsible business today for inclusion in the Experience Mekong Collection!
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Discover Amazing Stories: Pad Thai
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Mekong Minis 2018 winning video, #Luxury category sponsored by Rosewood Hotels & Resorts by Jirapan Phahsonchum from Australia (@lifeofjira)
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FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
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MTCO is active on various social media platforms under the universal handle @TourismMekong. Please
Tag with #MekongMoments #TourismMekong and follow us:
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The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office is a collaborative effort between the governments of Cambodia, China, Lao PRD, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam to promote the Greater Mekong Subregion as a single tourism destination.
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