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In this issue:
Mekong Countries Deepen Tourism Relations
Cambodia Holds Investment Event
Lonely Planet Boosts 'Mekong' Identity
Use MTO to Get the Message Across
Laotian Heritage Guide Skills Enhanced
GMS Travel News at a Glance
About the Mekong Tourism Office
Mekong Countries Deepen Tourism
Relations
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| Minister Khon: "Encourage
more travel" |
Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam will enhance tourism cooperation as the
result of a meeting of their tourism ministers in Ho Chi Minh City
October 5. The ministers pledged to share information and experience in
tourism planning, product development and investment; host tourism
investment forums; increase support for tourism-related cultural and
sports events in each other's countries; encourage art performance and
heritage tourism; enhance cooperation in tourism training; encourage
direct air links between major cultural heritage sites; and bolster
private-public partnership on tourism investment initiatives.
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Minister
Hoang: "Competitive in the region" |
Speaking at the meeting, Dr Thong Khon, Cambodia's minister of tourism
said: "The most significant issue that we should not forget is travel
facilitation and promotion of tourism investment of our three countries.
So far, we have done remarkably well in terms of intraregional tourism
cooperation, but we should encourage more travel movement." The three
destinations have a "Three Countries -- One Destination" philosophy that
has been in place since 2002. Mr Hoang Tuan Anh, Vietnam's minister of
culture, sports and tourism, said the aim was to "build Cambodia, Laos
and Vietnam into a single tourism destination with diverse, unique and
sustainable tourism products that would be highly competitive in the
region".
The next trilateral ministerial meeting will be in Cambodia.
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Cambodia Holds Investment Event
There will be a dedicated session on tourism, hotels and travel services
as part of the Dataconsult "Cambodia Investment, Trade and
Infrastructure" conference, November 7-8, at the InterContinental, Phnom
Penh. The event, with opening address by prime minister Hun Sen, will
feature briefings from government ministers. Some 300 delegates are
expected. The conference encourages first-hand interaction with
government leaders.
meetings@dataconsult.co.th. Tel: (66) 2 233 5606/7.
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Lonely Planet Boosts
'Mekong' Identity
For the first time, Lonely Planet has launched a Mekong region guide,
Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos & The Greater Mekong. "This new guide
recognises that travellers are increasingly interested in this region as
a multi-stop destination and we hope it will prove popular with
travellers and also benefit Mekong tourism," said Simone McNamara, a
Lonely Planet spokesperson. The 524 page guide book includes 28 maps, a
chapter on ancient wonders, detailed information on border crossings,
sustainable travel information and extensive accommodation listings. The
ninth edition of Lonely Planet's dedicated Vietnam guide was
published in July and the sixth edition of its Laos guide came
out in August.
www.lonelyplanet.com.
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Use MTO to Get
the Message Across
Mekong Tourism Office is building stronger relations with key NGOs. On
November 5, MTO executive advisor, Mr Peter Semone, addressed the
Greater Sub-Regional Seminar on Protecting Children form Trafficking and
Sexual Exploitation in Tourism. He told delegates at the Bangkok event
to use the MTO as a means to communicate important issues facing the
sub-region. He said that following travel industry consultations, a key
strategy for the MTO will be to enhance its website and monthly
electronic communications to ensure that GMS issues and initiatives
reach a wide audience.
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Laotian Heritage Guide Skills Enhanced
Heritage and tourism specialists took part in a train-the-trainers
workshop in Vat Phou World Heritage site in Laos, October 1-7. UNESCAP
and UNESCO organised the workshop to enhance skills in guiding and
visitor management, using both Champasak town and Vat Phou as case
studies. The workshop developed action plans for the
Laotian provinces. Future workshops are scheduled to take place at world
heritage sites at Angkor (Cambodia), Lijiang (Yunnan, China) and Bagan
(Myanmar). Workshops to enhance guides' skills have already taken place
at the world heritage sites in Hoi An (Vietnam) and Bangkok/Ayutthaya
(Thailand).
Further information. Or e-mail
vignuda.unescap@un.org.
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GMS Travel News at a Glance
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Cambodia plans to build a rail link to
Thailand with US$80 million from the ADB and the Organisation of
Petroleum Exporting Countries. The Public Works and Transport
Ministry said the budget would be used mostly on a 48-km section
between Sisophan and Poipet. Work is tentatively scheduled to start
in early 2008.
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The design-led Hotel Be Angkor above
The Passage walking street in Siem Reap's Old Market area will open
for reservations in January. The property will comprise three luxury
suites -- Saffron, Bamboo, Sepia -- designed in collaboration with
three local artists.
www.hotelbeangkor.com.
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Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen said
that talks are under way to set up a new national carrier to replace
Royal Air Cambodge which closed in 2001 with losses of US$30
million.
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Air Bagan said it is in talks to start
flights between Yangon and Kunming, possibly by the end of this
year. Effective November 5, the airline has temporarily suspended
its Yangon-Singapore service, which was launched in September.
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AirAsia has entered a partnership with
Vietnam's Shipbuilding Industry Group, Vinashin, to establish a new
low cost carrier, Vina AirAsia. The airline is expected to operate a
fleet of nine aircraft within two years.
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Tourism arrivals to Ho Chi Minh City
increased 13.7% to 1.9 million in the nine months to September this
year. There has been a sharp increase in both overland and arrivals
by sea.
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Lao Airlines will operate regular new
flights between Luang Prabang and Kunming starting January 4, 2008.
The Monday and Friday flights will use an ATR departing Luang
Prabang 1700, arriving Kunming 1930. The return leaves Kunming 2010,
arriving Luang Prabang 2040.
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The 108-room Ramada Hotel & Resort is
due to open in Sihanoukville on the Cambodian coast on November 17.
It is set in eight hectares of tropical gardens and offers ocean
views.
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About the
Mekong Tourism Office
The MTO was established in February 2006. Its four key objectives are
to:-
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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
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Add to the tourism development efforts of
each GMS country
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Contribute to poverty reduction, gender
equality and the empowerment of women
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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).
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