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In this issue:
On-line Responsible Tourism Guide Launched
MTCO Tourism Projects Attract "High-Level" Interest
MTCO Welcomes Dr Seksan
Presenters, Exhibitors Sought for Eco-Festival
Ramsar Site 999 - The Flooded Forests of Northern Cambodia
EU Targets Thai Sustainable Tourism Routes
EU Invests in Community-Based Tourism Standards
Laos' Travel Agents Promote Responsible Tourism
UNESCO Expands Sustainable Tourism Book Series
Netherlands Lends a Hand to Promote Tourism
Tap New Markets at www.ExploreMekong.org
Learn, Share, Engage at www.MekongTourism.org
On-line Responsible Tourism Guide Launched
The 'Mekong Responsible Tourism Guide', a new
extension to MekongTourism.org and ExploreMekong.org, was recently officially launched into cyberspace at:
www.exploremekong.org/responsible
In order to expand the potential readership of the book and the geographical coverage of its valuable content, the web
section -- inspired by 'The Guide to Responsible Tourism in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam' -- was developed for the MTCO by the United
States Agency for International Development (USAID)'s ASEAN Competitiveness Enhancement Project (ACE). MTCO Executive Director Mason
Florence welcomed ACE Project's initiative. "The site is a wonderful resource for global citizens to learn about, comment on and get
involved with responsible tourism activities in the Greater Mekong Sub-region," Mr Florence said. "We intend to expand and improve upon
the site to include information about responsible tourism activities in all six countries of destination Mekong." Florence added that he's
hopeful that the new website will help build the foundation for a second print edition of the guidebook.
All content pages and posts based on the content of the original book, which was written by Guy Marris, Nick Ray, and Bernie
Rosenbloom, and edited by Ken Scott, have been tagged "bookcontent". Users are able submit comments, testimonials, and fair criticism on
its content, and also make specific recommendations regarding responsible tourism activities in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand,
Vietnam, and the Yunnan and Guangxi provinces of China for the website's free publication. Email
content@mekongtourism.org.
A publication of the Mekong Tourism
Development Project (MTDP), 'The Guide to Responsible Tourism in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam' was funded by the Ministry of Tourism
Cambodia, the Lao National Tourism Administration and the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism with loans from the Asian Development
Bank.
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MTCO Tourism
Projects Attract "High-Level" Interest
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| Development partners conference sponsored by ADB |
The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) presented four "priority project proposals" at a Development Partners' Conference in Bangkok,
March 27, 2009 and was satisfied with the level of international interest given prevailing economic conditions.
MTCO Sustainable Development Project Coordinator Ms Christine Jacquemin said: "The high-level attendance demonstrates that
tourism is now being widely acknowledged as an important sector for poverty reduction, local and economic development."
The proposals are the outcomes of in-depth consultations that took place during successive workshops in Bangkok, Vientiane,
Hue and Phnom Penh. Initiated by France with further support from ADB and the respective host countries, the workshops covered the following
topics:-
1) Strengthening the management of GMS tourism in and around natural protected
areas;
2) Developing effective partnerships for pro-poor GMS tourism initiatives;
3) Strengthening the vocational capacities of GMS' hospitality industry SMEs, especially in secondary destinations; and
4) Developing inclusive and sustainable tourism along the GMS corridors.
ADB is already committed to implement each project as it applies to Viet Nam and
Laos through the Sustainable Tourism Development Project (STDP). The objective of the March 27 event was to solicit additional commitment from
other agencies.
All proceedings of the meeting shall be soon posted on
www.mekongtourism.org in the event section.
For more information about the proposals, please email info@mekongtourism.org.
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MTCO
Welcomes Dr Seksan
The MTCO, led by Executive Director Mason Florence (pictured second from
right), paid a courtesy call on Dr Seksan Narkwong to welcome him in his new role of Acting Director General of the Office of
Tourism Development at Thailand's Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
Dr Seksan (pictured second from left)
pledged his Office's continued contribution of office space and utilities to the MTCO in order to nurture a cooperative spirit in
the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS). Also in attendance at the meeting was MTCO Project Coordinator Christine Jacquemin (pictured
left) and MTCO Office Manager Saengrawee Thongdee (pictured right). Ms Prapa Tantasuparuk, Chief of the Ministry of Tourism and
Sports' International Section, facilitated the introductions.
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Presenters, Exhibitors Sought for Eco-Festival
A featured event during Cambodia's Environment Week 2009, June 1-7, the Eco-Festival seeks sponsors, speakers, and exhibitors. The three-day
event is an opportunity for conservation and environmental groups and environmentally-aware businesses to deliver their messages to the
Cambodian tourism industry.
There are 20 (twenty) 3m x 3m publicity/information stalls available at US$300 each for the duration of the Eco-Festival.
The deadline for registration and proposals is April 27. For more information, contact event organizer Mr Allan Michaud. Tel: (+855)
1270-7283. Email: ecofestival09@gmail.com.
During this week MTCO is planning to conduct a seminar on how to reduce environmental impacts and
increase energy efficiency of tourism operators, and in particular small hotels, guest houses, boat operators, etc. As such it is launching a
call for speakers who could make practical presentations covering the following subjects: Eco-friendly construction; Sustainable energy
solutions and devices for tourism SMEs and communities; Waste management; et cetera.
Please submit by early May your proposals, or intention to participate, to Christine Jacquemin at
christine@mekongtourism.org as some expenses might be covered through French funding.
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Ramsar Site 999 - The Flooded Forests of Northern Cambodia
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| Panoramic image by Paul Stewart of the flooded
forest of northern Cambodia |
An exhibition of monotone panoramic prints from the Ramsar designated wetland area
on The Mekong in Northern Cambodia by Paul Stewart opened on 27th April, 2009 at The FCC, Sisowath Quay, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The show will
run for a period of four weeks. For those who can't make it to Phnom Penh, there is an online
catalogue (PDF 7.15 MB) available for download.
For those who can, Stewart has a guest book waiting for your comments. Your notes and messages will be passed on to the communities
within Ramsar Site 999 when the show closes on the 31st May. You can mail him comments directly from links included in the catalogue.
Mr Stewart is currently seeking sponsorship for ongoing photographic projects, and in the interest of promoting The Mekong would be happy
if for the exhibition to be 'adopted' after it closes in Phnom Penh and taken to other regional capitals to raise awareness of this fabulous
stretch of the river. He can be contacted at: paul@mouthtosource.net. More Mekong panoramas are
available at 'Mekong 360°'.
From here you can virtually travel the river from one of the mouths of the river at Thua Long in Vietnam to Xieng Kok in Northern Laos in
full 360° panorama. Stewart hopes to bring us the entire river online, from mouth to source, when support can be found to do this.
Other works from Stewart include 'Le Grand Tour d'Angkor - An interactive guide to the temples of Angkor' available on CD and soon a
direct download. A 'Mini Tour' is available
online and features
at least one panorama from all the temples on the Grand Tour.
Enjoy the show.
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EU Targets Thai Sustainable
Tourism Routes
While the world is being rocked by economic crisis, growing demand for 'green' and 'conscientious consumption' offers new hope
and opportunity for GMS tourism stakeholders.
Thailand's leading sustainable tourism supplier organizations, Thai community members, and European tour operators and
tourism experts have teamed up to strengthen Thai sustainable tourism standards and to develop new "Thai Sustainable Tourism Routes" --
integrated packages of the best green and sustainable tourism products that Thailand has to offer.
The "Corporate Social Responsibility and Market Access Partnerships (CSR-MAP) for Thai Sustainable Tourism Supply Chains"
project will run for 18 months with 75% of its total budget of EUR236,000 provided by the EU and 25% by the Thai Ecotourism and Adventure
Travel Association (TEATA), the Green Leaf Foundation, and the European Centre for Eco and Agro Tourism (ECEAT).
For more information, email Ms Duangkamol Chansuriyawong at csr.map.info@gmail.com. TOP
EU Invests in Community-Based Tourism Standards
Tourists visit communities for their attractiveness, but often without contributing to their welfare. Community-based tourism (CBT) solves
this problem for many rural communities. CBT is tourism sustainably developed and managed by the host community.
CBT is increasingly widespread in many destinations, but is often ignored by the marketplace because it remains a development
buzzword unrecognized by consumers and much of the mainstream tourism industry. In any case, there is a lack of clear standards governing what
it means to be a CBT destination.
An EU Asia-Invest initiative is developing and introducing common CBT standards among South and East Asian countries, based
on destination-specific context and market expectations. Some 16-22 CBT destinations and their suppliers in Indonesia, Cambodia and Mongolia
are currently being assessed and trained according to these standards.
As networks of standards-compliant CBT suppliers grow, the project will train CBT destinations to position themselves
individually and cooperatively in international tourism markets.
For more information, contact European Center for Eco and Agro Tourism (ECEAT) -- Projects' Ms Christine Koblun. Tel: (+31) 20-663-0479.
Email: c.koblun@eceat-projects.org.
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Laos' Travel Agents Promote Responsible Tourism
The Lao Association of Travel Agents (LATA) has published a new pocket guide entitled 'Responsible Tours in Laos: New for 2009'.
Featuring a selection of new attractions, tours, destinations, cookery and craft courses, 'voluntourism' opportunities, et
cetera, by LATA members, the guide was launched in Berlin at ITB2009.
The booklet is supported by the EU Asia Invest II programme 'Marketing Responsible Tourism in Laos' and SNV Netherlands
Development Organisation.
For more information, email info@latalaos.org;
admin@latalaos.org. Web: www.latalaos.org.
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UNESCO Expands Sustainable Tourism Book
Series
IMPACT: the Effects of Tourism on Culture and the Environment, a well-researched and
smartly-presented series of UNESCO publications about promoting sustainable tourism, is designed to inform and foster cooperation
between tourism industry personnel and heritage site managers. Each IMPACT book is a case-study, focusing on a specific heritage
site destination in the Asia-Pacific region and showcasing initiatives that have been undertaken to meet the development needs of
the tourism industry while ensuring the preservation, and even enhancement, of the natural and cultural resources of the site.
IMPACT case studies include information on the site's history, heritage and culture. To date four volumes have been published,
three of which focus on sites within the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS).
The first book in the series, Tourism and Heritage Site Management in the World
Heritage Town of Luang Prabang, Lao PDR, examines the positive and negative impacts of tourism in Luang Prabang and
suggests a strategy for managing tourism such that the benefits of tourism are maximized while the negative impacts minimized. Two
newer publications focus on the World Heritage Sites of the Ifugao Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras and Hoi
An Ancient Town, Vietnam. Most recently a fourth volume was published focusing on the district of Luang Namtha, Lao PDR.
Click
here for the full story and links to downloadable e-books from the IMPACT series.
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Netherlands Lends a Hand to Promote Tourism
The Dutch organization for the promotion of developing countries' exports, CBI, has launched its new "Export Coaching Program for
Tourism 2008 -- 2014".
The program offers selected tourism companies from Thailand or Vietnam (and other developing nations) the opportunity to
enter or expand into the European market. Support includes promotion at European travel fairs, marketing training, personal
coaching, and direct match-making with European outbound operators.
Participation costs are limited because the program is subsidized by the Dutch government. However prospective candidates
should be locally-owned by citizens of Thailand or Vietnam, employ a minimum of three people, and have the potential to appeal to
European travellers.
For more information and the application forms, email community-based tourism expert Mr Naut Kusters at
n.kusters@eceat-projects.org. Web:
www.cbi.eu.
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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.
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