Posted March 30, 2006: Strong growth in tourism in the Greater Mekong Sub-region will be boosted by a raft of policies and projects endorsed by six Mekong-region governments today.

The governments of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the Yunnan and Guangxi provinces of China (PRC), addressed the Mekong Tourism Investment Summit in Luang Prabang, March 28-30. They reported that their proposed 29 tourism policy, investment and infrastructure initiatives would make investment easier. The initiatives would also channel growth towards socially responsible projects in an area where 60 million people still earn less than US$1 a day.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is expected to fund some of the projects. “The ADB’s over-arching objective is to achieve sustainable tourism development and channel the benefits more widely to reduce poverty, empower women and minimize adverse impacts,” said Mr Alfredo Perdiguero, ADB’s project economist for tourism in the Mekong region.

As part of the broad easing of travel restrictions, Thailand and Cambodia are preparing a joint tourism visa that Thai officials said would be ready by August.

Full release.

A new event for the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), the Mekong Tourism Investment Summit (MTIS) 2006, along with the Dialogue with Mekong Ministers session at the 55th PATA Annual Conference (PAC06), filled in for the former Mekong Tourism Forum.

MTIS Web site. www.PATA.org/conference.

Posted February 8, 2006: The newly-opened Mekong Tourism Office (MTO) is putting together a private-sector task force to review MTO development and marketing plans for the next two years.

The MTO was set up with seed funding from the GMS Tourism Working Group which represents the six national governments in the Greater Mekong Sub-region. The MTO has the blessing of the Asian Development Bank and UNESCAP and has two functions:-

1) Development – To co-ordinate sustainable pro-poor tourism development projects in the Mekong in line with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, and

2) Marketing – To promote the Mekong region as a single travel and tourism destination under the brand ‘Mekong Tourism’.

MTO Executive Director Mr Stephen Yong said: "The MTO will rely on private-sector partnerships to achieve many of its objectives, especially marketing and branding, therefore it is important to incorporate the ideas and suggestions of the private sector into MTO’s plans from the very outset."

Full release.

	Stephen Yong

Posted February 1, 2006: The Mekong Tourism Office (MTO) opens its doors today. Charged with co-ordinating the tourism marketing and development efforts of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), the MTO is located at Thailand's Ministry of Tourism and Sport.

Former PATA executive Mr Stephen Yong (pictured) has been appointed MTO Executive Director, after a rigorous selection process that included all public-sector members of the GMS Tourism Working Group. Through the MTO, Mr Yong is charged with implementing the new Mekong Tourism Strategy.

PATA has worked closely with public-sector GMS tourism organisations, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and UNESCAP for more than a decade. PATA Vice President-Development Mr Peter Semone said: "The MTO is an outstanding example of tangible advancement in the area of sub-regional co-operation and will play an integral role in GMS tourism growth."

The GMS comprises Cambodia, China (PRC)'s Guanxi and Yunnan provinces, Laos PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

Mekong Tourism Office Contact Details

Official contact details for the new Mekong Tourism Office based in Bangkok are as follow:

Executive Director

Mekong Tourism Office

5th Flr. Office of Tourism Development

Ministry of Tourism & Sports

154 Rama 1 Road, National Stadium

Bangkok 10330, Thailand

Tel: (66-2) 612-4150/1

Fax: (66-2) 612-4152

E-mail: info@MekongTourism.org

Web site: www.MekongTourism.org 

Posted January 25, 2006: A 7min 40s documentary, produced by the Asian Development Bank, directed by Asia Pacific Projects' Mr Ludwig Rieder and Travelmedia Communications' Mr Russell Johnson and narrated by Mr Johnson, presents the strategy of the six countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion for the sustainable development of the tourism sector.

ADB Web site. www.PATA.org/sustainability.

Posted November 23, 2005: The Asian Development Bank's Mekong Tourism Development Project (MTDP) has identified activities it will undertake in Cambodia and has launched a new Web site. The site explains the goals of the MTDP, thus:

The Mekong Tourism Development Project (MTDP) aims to reduce poverty in the GMS countries, contribute to economic growth, increase employment, and promote the conservation of the natural and cultural heritage. The specific objective of the Project is to promote sustainable tourism in the lower Mekong basin countries through infrastructure improvements, community and private sector participation, and sub-regional co-operation.

The Project will improve high priority, tourism-related infrastructure in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam, promote pro-poor, community-based sustainable tourism in rural areas, and strengthen sub-regional co-operation. It will mitigate environmental degradation, develop human resources, and promote co-operation between private and public sectors within the GMS by establishing tourism marketing and promotion boards.

Source: MTDP (Cambodia) Web site

Posted November 2, 2005: The 10th Mekong Tourism Forum (MTF) took place in Siem Reap, Cambodia in March 2005. For 10 years, with the support of development partners, such as the Asian Development Bank and UNESCO, PATA organised the Forum to provide a platform for discussing the development and promotion of travel and tourism to and within the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS). 

The MTF had three main objectives:

1) Establish and expand sub-regional co-operation to develop and promote the GMS as a tourist destination

2) Provide a platform for public and private sectors to gather, discuss and address sub-regional tourism issues

3) Expand marketing networks and opportunities for promoting destinations in the GMS.

During the 10th MTF, it was generally agreed that the Forum had largely fulfilled its objectives. For example, the Tourism Working Group (TWG), the official grouping of the GMS’ six national tourism organisations is now forming a Mekong Tourism Office and will soon employ a full-time Executive Director. Much of the groundwork for this development was laid down over the past decade, with great contributions from the Mekong Tourism Forum event.

All stakeholders and supporters agree that from 2007, the nature and format of public-/private-sector Mekong tourism-related events should be determined by the Mekong Tourism Office, in consultation with the Tourism Working Group and private sector stakeholders.

For the transition year 2006, the following two events will take place, both of which are being actively supported by PATA:

• The Mekong Tourism Investment Summit, to take place March 28-30, 2006 in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR.  More information at www.mekongtourisminvestmentsummit.com.

• A Dialogue with Mekong Tourism Ministers at 1600 on April 24, during the 55th PATA Annual Conference (PAC06), April 23-27 in Pattaya, Thailand. More information at www.PATA.org/conference.

In 2007 and beyond, PATA will continue its role as a development partner and resource for GMS tourism initiatives.