|
In this issue:
Mekong Tourism Office Defines Priorities
Mekong River Discovery Trail a Step Closer
Development Lessons from Laos
How Much Does Tourism Really Help the Poor?
Can Tho City Launches Visit Year 2008
Search for Mekong Executive Director Continues
GMS Travel News at a Glance
About the Mekong Tourism Office
 |
|
Greater Mekong Subregion: tourism marketing in three phases |
Mekong Tourism Office Defines Priorities
The Mekong Tourism Office has announced its new marketing plan,
2008-2011. The MTO's Senior Advisor, Mr Peter Semone (pictured), told
GMS member countries that the priorities would be to consolidate
resources, build credibility and win the confidence of the private
sector over three phases of activity. Addressing delegates of the GMS
Tourism Working Group Ad-hoc Meeting in Vientiane on December 3, he
recommended that phase I of the plan should include: 1) appointing a
country coordinator for Mekong activities in each member NTO 2)
upgrading the MTO's website 3) creating a Mekong Travel Planner for
travel agents 4) presenting MTO at international events 5) facilitating
subregional networking activities 6) enhancing the MTO member database
7) improving monthly updates to all stakeholders 8) holding regular
private sector advisory meetings, and 9) carrying out market research.
Mr Semone told the 35 delegates that it was important for the MTO to get
the basics right. "Later phases should include GDS engagement, social
website capabilities with search engine optimization, media
familiarization trips, re-establishing the Mekong Tourism Forum, and a
visit GMS year," he said.
TOP
Mekong River Discovery Trail a Step
Closer
 |
| Kratie river dolphin |
The last 80 or so river dolphins in the Mekong River are at the heart of
an ambitious development programme to tackle poverty and attract tens of
thousands of visitors to two of the poorest provinces of Cambodia. The
Mekong River Discovery Trail Project will draw visitors to view the
endangered fresh water dolphin which lives in 10 deep water natural
pools in a 190-km stretch of the Mekong River, mostly between the quiet
provincial capitals of Kratie and Stung Treng. The main objective of the
Discovery Trail is poverty alleviation. About 50% of all households in
Stung Treng and 30% of those in Kratie live on less than US$1 a day.
"The Mekong River Discovery Trail Project aims to bring about
sustainable pro-poor tourism that helps develop Northeast Cambodia,"
says Dr Harsh Varma, Director of Development Assistance Department of
the World Tourism Organization.
Read full release.
Maps and pictures.
TOP
Development Lessons from
Laos
The Lao National Tourism Administration issued advice to destinations
seeking to successfully implement tourism related infrastructure
projects, pro-poor tourism initiatives and sub-regional cooperation.
Addressing the ADB-Mekong Tourism Development Project meeting in
Vientiane on December 3, Mr Thavipheth Oula, Deputy Director, LNTA,
advised destinations to 1) secure senior political support from the top
2) encourage project teams to learn from small mistakes (to avoid big
ones) 3) practice what they preach by using local products and services
4) measure success and failure through systematic monitoring (but don't
make monitoring the main focus of the project) 5) recruit a project team
that is able to live and work happily and effectively with local
stakeholders 6) subcontract technical tasks as necessary, and 7) employ
rolling work plans and data-based decision-making. Mr Thavipheth said
such techniques had been successful in implementing programmes such as
the Luang Namtha airport improvements, Konglor Cave and Kuang Si
Waterfall access road upgrades, and community-based tourism initiatives
in four provinces.
TOP
How Much Does
Tourism Really Help the Poor?
Measuring the impact of tourism 'value chain' developments was the theme
of an international conference that took place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia,
December 12-13. The event was organised by the International Finance
Corporation and SNV Netherlands Development Organisation. For further
information and outcome details contact
snvcam@yahoo.com or
arossetto@ifc.org.
TOP
Can Tho City Launches Visit Year 2008
Can Tho city 170 km from Ho Chi Minh City in the Mekong Delta will
celebrate "Visit
Can Tho Year" throughout 2008. A week of festivities takes place
February 21-27 and is followed by a festival of lanterns and garlands
(April 29), boat racing (April 30), a fresh fruit festival (May 5-11),
and ethnic music and dance (July 4-11). The city also plans to host
tourism workshops and to enhance road and air access during the year.
Can Tho, with a population of 1.2 million, is the biggest city in the
Mekong Delta.
TOP
Search for Mekong Executive Director
Continues
The Mekong Tourism Office will continue its search for a regional
executive director. The GMS countries meeting on December 3 decided to
extend the search until March 31, 2008 and extend the contract of its
current senior advisor, Mr Peter Semone, until mid-2008. Applicants for
the Bangkok-based job should e-mail
info@MekongTourism.org.
TOP
GMS Travel News at a
Glance
-
Vietnam is forecast to receive 4.3
million tourists this year. The four-millionth tourist arrived on
December 6 and was given a bouquet of flowers at Hanoi airport.
Vietnam attracted 250,000 visitors in 1990 and is seeking six
million by 2010.
-
Bangkok-based PB Air has launched a
daily flight from Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi to Mae Hong Son in far
northwest Thailand. The codeshare flight with THAI will run until
March 2008.
-
Thailand is paying 70% of an estimated
US$6.2 million to extend the railway network from Nong Khai in
Thailand across the Friendship Bridge into Laos near Vientiane. The
connection is due for completion in 2008.
-
The Myanmar Tourism Promotion Board
welcomes travel buyers, travel writers and photographers to join
familiarisation trips in 2008. The nine-day and five-day tours cost
US$595 and US$434 and depart on fixed dates.
Further information and application forms.
-
Nok Air has launched inclusive packages
from Bangkok to Hanoi and Halong Bay in Vietnam. The three-day
package on a twin-sharing basis is 12,500 baht (US$368). A four-day
version is 15,000 baht (US$441).
TOP
About the
Mekong Tourism Office
The MTO was established in February 2006. Its four key objectives are
to:-
-
Develop and promote the Mekong as a
single destination, offering a diversity of good quality and
high-yielding sub-regional products that help to distribute the
benefits of tourism more widely
-
Add to the tourism development efforts of
each GMS country
-
Contribute to poverty reduction, gender
equality and the empowerment of women
-
Promote sustainable development, while
minimising adverse impacts.
Contact Point
Mekong Tourism Office
5th Floor, Office of Tourism Development, Ministry of Tourism & Sports
154 Rama I Road, National Stadium, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Tel: (66-2) 612-4150/1. Fax: (66-2) 612-4152.
E-mail:
info@MekongTourism.org. Website:
www.MekongTourism.org.
Media enquiries:
media@MekongTourism.org.
Abbreviations
ADB (Asian Development Bank); EU (European Union); GMS (Greater Mekong Subregion); IMF
(International Monetary Fund);
MTO (Mekong Tourism Office); SNV (Netherlands Development Organization);
STEP (Sustainable Tourism Eliminating Poverty); UNESCAP (United Nations
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific); UNESCO (United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization); UNWTO (United
Nations World Tourism Organization).
TOP |
