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In this issue:
Commission Calls for Caution in Considering Hydropower
Opinion: How Technology and the Social Conscience Will Rescue Tourism
LNTA Workshop Backs Marketing Board Concept
MTCO Connecting People, Coordinating Projects in Vietnam
MTCO Contributes to GMS Environment Projects
Responsible Tourism: Life's an Andaman Beach
New STDP Focus in Lao to 2014
UNEP Develops "eTool" for Accommodation SMEs
Tourism Concern Launches 'Ethical Travel Guide'
NEWS IN BRIEF
Tap New Markets at www.ExploreMekong.org
Learn, Share, Engage at www.MekongTourism.org
Go Social with Mekong Tourism
Commission Calls for Caution in Considering Hydropower
The Mekong River Commission (MRC) has emphasized the need to be
careful when considering dam projects on the mainstream Mekong River, as a wide ranging assessment of Mekong hydropower development
begins.
"The Mekong River system is a highly productive and valuable, but at the same time, fragile resource," said MRC Secretariat
Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Bird.
Mr Bird's caution comes as the MRC launches a strategic assessment of the proposed mainstream developments in Lao PDR,
Cambodia and on the Lao-Thai border. The influence of upstream dams in China on the Lancang-Mekong River will also be included.
"The four lower Mekong countries have agreed to work together to cultivate a better scientific understanding of the wider
development impact," Mr Bird said
The MRC will use the study to improve its ability to guide member states in their decision making processes and dialogue.
Full story.
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Opinion: How
Technology and the Social Conscience Will Rescue Tourism
By Shane K Beary
There was a time when I subscribed to the concept of 'responsible tourism' as the
best model to ensure a sustainable future for the industry, yet resigned myself to the fact that in our consumer-driven society where money
alone is king, and where we place a financial value on our ideals, most people give the idea little more than lip service.
That of course was before circumstances and events conspired to create a situation in which responsible tourism appears to be
the only viable solution to the tourism industry's woes. The have's will have to help the have not's in order to ensure their own survival.
Mr Beary (pictured) argues his case in the full article.
Read it.
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| Mason Florence, MTCO
Executive Director, delivers a presentation on destination marketing organisations and public-private partnerships in
the GMS. |
LNTA Workshop Backs Marketing
Board Concept
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Panellists from left to right, Mr Keungpannha
Khamtan, Vice President LATA, Mr Soukaseum Bodhisane, Vice Chairman LNTA, Mr Alain Daout, Laos Director, Appletree and
panel moderator Mr Robin van Kippersluis, Portfolio Manager, SNV Laos |
The Lao National Tourism Administration (LNTA) organized a workshop May
29 on marketing cooperation between public- and private-sector tourism stakeholders. All participants in the event agreed on the
need for a marketing board, which would be responsible for implementing marketing activities and giving strategic direction to
Laos' destination marketing.
The LNTA believes that cooperation and
collaboration in these current difficult times is very important to effectively market Laos in a competitive and crowded tourism
marketplace. The common goal for both the public and private sectors is to increase the number and quality of visitors to Laos,
thereby increasing revenue from tourism for the benefit of the country.
LNTA website.
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MTCO Connecting People, Coordinating Projects in Vietnam
MTCO Project Coordinator Christine Jacquemin (pictured) gathered tourism development partners together at the ADB office in
Hanoi, Vietnam on May 25. The gathering gave donors and development agencies the opportunity to discuss their respective projects.
Representatives of the European Commission, AFD, SNV, GTZ, FPSC, among others, attended.
Ms Jacquemin presented four project proposals developed by the MTCO, which were based on the findings of appropriately themed
MTCO workshops. ADB and German development bank KfW are funding one such pilot project in central Vietnam's UNESCO Natural World Heritage area
of Phong Nha-Ke Bang. Designed by the MTCO to strengthen the management of tourism within and around bio-diverse areas, the project was based
on findings from the September 2008 workshop on tourism and biodiversity in Bangkok.
Phong Nha-Ke Bang, a 85,754-hectare park in Quang Binh Province, is one of two Natural World Heritage sites in Vietnam (along
with Halong Bay). It is famous for its caves and karst landscape. A good destination for biking and hiking, Phong Nha Ke Bang's mountains are
home to the richest variety of primates Vietnam. The Ho Chi Minh highway passes along the park's east side. The west borders Laos.
Phong Nha-Ke Bang's UNESCO listing.
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MTCO
Contributes to GMS Environment Projects
MTCO Project Coordinator Christine Jacquemin discussed the implementation of the
2009-2011 Core Environment Program Biodiversity Conservation Corridors Initiative (CEP-BCI) projects by the GMS Environment Operation Center
at a workshop in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on May 27. The projects have been endorsed by the GMS Working Group on the environment and include five
concept clusters to be implemented thanks to US$4 million funding from Finland. MTCO has been invited to be the coordinating organization on
the two clusters that contain tourism components:-
• Cluster 1: "Golden Quadrangle Integrated Approach to Tourism, Climate
Change & Environmental Performance Assessment"
• Cluster 4: "Integrated Approach to SEA, BCI, and EPA in the GMS Southern Economic Corridor"
About the CEP.
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Responsible
Tourism: Life's an Andaman Beach
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Photo © Darinka Montico |
Just a few hours from the tourist hub of Phuket, Thailand villagers invite you into their lives to experience their traditional
culture and diverse eco-systems in an authentic and non-intrusive way. Andaman Discoveries (AD) offers experiences of traditional culture and
ecology of rural, coastal Thailand.
Several village tours are available, including cultural tours, family tours and hands-on tours. Each of
the tours contains a diverse mix of cultural exchange, ecological and handicraft-making activities. The tours are designed for everybody,
regardless of age or ability, including mature and single travelers. In addition to village tours and homestays, AD also can arrange long-term
volunteering placements and study tours, and can book tours to Koh Surin and the Koh Ra Ecolodge.
Full entry on the
'Responsible Tourism Guide to the Mekong'. TOP
New
STDP Focus in Lao to 2014
The new GMS Sustainable Tourism Development Project (2009-2014) aims to contribute to the socioeconomic development of Lao, focusing
especially on poverty reduction, sustainable development, and the protection of natural and cultural heritage and vulnerable groups.
The Project is financed by a US$10 million grant from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) with additional resources by the
Government of Lao PDR. The Lao National Tourism Administration (LNTA) is the executing agency responsible for the coordination and
implementation of the project in the nine target provinces of Champasak, Salavanh, Savannakhet, Vientiane, Houaphanh, Oudomxay, Sayabouli,
Bokeo and Luang Namtha.
For more information, visit Ecotourism Laos.
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UNEP
Develops "eTool" for Accommodation SMEs
Accommodation-related activities, such as construction, landscaping, cooking, waste disposal, and water and energy use tend to adversely
affect the environment if not properly managed. Therefore, it is crucial to engage the sector in implementing better environmental practices,
according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Environmental management has become an important operational issue for big hotel chains, with a number of them adopting new
practices across their portfolios of properties. However, small- and medium-sized players do not always have the necessary awareness,
training, resources, or support to adopt sound practices.
In response to these needs, UNEP is partnering with Agence de l'Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l'Energie (ADEME) to help
fill in the gaps with a "practical, ready-to-be-used e-tool" for environmental management. This will be based on an assessment of the current
capacities and needs of accommodation SMEs in Madagascar and Vietnam.
For more information, contact UNEP's Melissa Bonneton. Tel: +33 144371450. Fax: +33 1 4437 1474. E-mail:
tourism@unep.fr.
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Tourism Concern Launches 'Ethical Travel Guide'
The new edition of Tourism Concern's 'Ethical Travel Guide' gives a background to the many ethical and practical
issues involved in tourism, including a new section on climate change.
"The 'Ethical Travel Guide' is a tool in Tourism Concern's fight to ensure that local people always benefit from tourism,"
said Tourism Concern Director Tricia Barnett.
"Thousands of grassroots, low-impact, high sustainability initiatives all over the world struggle to tell tourists that they
exist. Very few of these inspirational initiatives have the resources or skills to market themselves within an industry dominated
by multinational companies. The 'Ethical Travel Guide' is a challenge to [these multinationals]."
The book was written by Polly Pattullo and Orely Minelli and published by Earthscan.
Tourism Concern.
Earthscan.
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NEWS IN BRIEF
ADB, PRC Help Mekong Countries Address HRD Concerns
ADB and China are helping countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion address human resource development issues.
Full story.
Fam Trip to Explore Vietnam's New Attractions
Indochina Explorer, Thailand, will organize a low-priced fam-trip for Thai travel agents to survey new attractions in Vietnam and
Laos, 21 to 27 July.
Full story.
WWF says Mekong River Dolphins at Risk of Extinction
Pollution in the Mekong River in Southeast Asia has pushed the local population of Irrawaddy dolphins to the brink of extinction,
the World Wildlife Fund warned Wednesday.
Full CNN story.
Angkor Kampuchea Airlines Emerges in Cambodia
According to Cambodian media sources, a new national airline plans to start flying domestically on July 18.
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Tap New Markets at www.ExploreMekong.org
MTCO's consumer-facing website
www.exploremekong.org will be a key
platform for marketing the Mekong region as a premier tourism destination.
Through www.exploremekong.org the
MTCO offers Mekong-region tourism stakeholders a valuable opportunity to dabble in online distribution for the first time, or
expand upon their existing web-based channels.
Minimum conditions apply for private-sector inclusion in the website's booking engine. Sponsorship and advertising
opportunities are also available.
For more information on the marketing opportunities offered by
www.exploremekong.org, please email
exploremekong@genaresasia.com.
Learn, Share, Engage at www.MekongTourism.org
The MTCO's website at www.mekongtourism.org
is quickly developing into an indispensable resource for anyone interested in tourism development: development partners, NGOs,
students, teachers, policy makers, and the travel trade.
Bookmark www.mekongtourism.org for
convenient access to the proceedings of
MTCO's GMS
workshops and other resources
pertaining to sustainable tourism development, especially the MTCO's priority themes of conservation, poverty alleviation, human
resource development, and tourism corridor enhancement.
To contribute your own tourism development news, opinions, and resources to
www.mekongtourism.org, please email
content@mekongtourism.org.
Go Social with Mekong Tourism
Help MTCO tap into and expand its social media networks: Follow "Explore Mekong" on
Twitter, join our "Mekong Tourism" groups on
Facebook,
LinkedIn and
Plaxo, and help
us represent the GMS on The "Good Tourism" Wiki!
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