Mekong Tourism Forum 2024

As regional tourism recovery accelerates, the annual Mekong Tourism Forum 2023 is set to return as an in- person event in Preah Sihanouk Province, Cambodia on 26 April 2023. Operating under the theme of “Rethinking for Resilience and Digitalization”. The Forum was hosted by the Ministry of Tourism, Kingdom of Cambodia, in collaboration with the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) and with the support of the Asian Development Bank. The MTF welcomed the participation of the Ambassador of Lao PDR to Cambodia, representatives from the Embassies of Japan and China, and senior officials from the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries. The forum serves as an interactive platform for regional tourism stakeholders to discuss critical issues and emerging trends, rethink the future of GMS tourism, exchange insights and experiences, and reconnect face-to-face with each other. The MTF 2023 engages in constructive dialogues and discovers opportunities to enhance the tourism sector’s resilience through building sustainable food systems, fostering women’s empowerment, accelerating digitalization, and upskilling the tourism workforce. What happened at MTF 2023 ?  

1. MTF 2023 Keynote: The keynote highlighted the pandemic crisis presented an opportunity to rethink tourism and realign the sector. Rethinking Tourism will ensure that tourism’s restart and recovery drive wider growth, and that such growth is inclusive, with the economic benefits enjoyed as widely and fairly as possible. This session presents the concepts, strategies and recommendations of rethinking tourism based on the key issues and opportunities, particularly those affecting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the Mekong region.

2. Expert Perspective: This session shared the significance of food as an important part of the travel experience. A sustainable food system is a fundamental part of tourism resilience. This session takes a holistic look at how the sustainable food system serves as an instrument to address major development challenges in the Mekong region and discusses leveraging the innovations in digital technologies for food system transformation.

3. Expert Panels: The MTF2023 features three insightful expert panel discussions in the tourism industry. The first panel, titled “Smart Tourism and Smart Destination via Digitalization” posits that smart tourism is the way forward post-COVID. Initiatives such as smart ticketing, digital payment, smart security services, virtual reality tours, and robot city guides have improved destinations in ways that include access to infrastructure, transport, facilities, and information. The application of digitization, through smart urban planning, better data management for residents and visitors, waste management, and innovative local tourism development, serves as a key accelerator to create resilient tourism. Digitalization also facilitates human capital development, upgrading low-skilled jobs to higher-end ones. This session discusses various ways to enhance business resilience through digitalization, as well as related issues and challenges. The second panel,“Women’s Empowerment – the Center Stage of Tourism Recovery” focuses on the fact that women constitute the majority of the tourism workforce, yet are often relegated to low-skilled or informal work with less access to social protection. Women are underrepresented in management and leadership, highlighting the need to redefine gender balance in this industry. This session debates and discusses the main issues affecting women’s participation in tourism, focusing on enabling factors, challenges, and concrete measures to promote greater gender equality in the region. The final panel, “Advancing Human Capital… Advancing Industry Resilience” addresses the central role human resources play in the tourism industry. The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic has led to a shortage of human resources in the tourism industry, including high-quality personnel. Many returning workers have outdated skills, despite the necessity for tourism human resources to be upskilled and reskilled to cope with modern working methods and scenarios. Skills in smart working, e-commerce, data analysis, and e-learning are increasingly becoming prerequisites for tourism businesses. This session examines the issues of workforce shortage and low-skilled labor, recommending mitigation strategies to boost the competitiveness and survival of the tourism business.

4. Sustainable Tourism Exhibit: The Mekong Tourism Forum 2023 features the Sustainable Tourism Exhibit from April 25th to 26th. This exhibit emphasizes sustainable and community-based tourism, showcasing local products such as handicrafts created by Cambodian women with disabilities, as well as products from various regions in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS).

5. 5. Disbursed Tourism Exhibition: The purpose of the exhibition is to promote lesser-known, second-tier, or new destinations in order to raise their profiles and counter overtourism in popular destinations.

 

5. 5. Post Tour: On the 27th of April 2023, attendees of the Mekong Tourism Forum 2023 participated in a technical tour, hosted by the Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia. The tour was designed to showcase the breathtaking seascape of Koh Rong, Cambodia’s second-largest island. The group was transported to the island via a speedboat from Sihanoukville and spent time at Mafiya’s Resort, engaging in various recreational activities. Later on, they visited the Prek Koang Kang Ecotourism Community, a cooperative committed to preserving the vital mangrove ecosystem. Here, delegates were educated about the ecological importance of mangroves and even participated in planting them. The tour concluded at Ream Bay, where delegates interacted with representatives from Canopy Sand Development, the lead developer of the “Bay of Lights” project. This project aims to transform Cambodia’s coastline and elevate tourism.

 

Click to view photos from MTF 2023

Download Mekong Tourism Forum (MTF) 2023 Report

The Mekong Tourism Forum 2022 (MTF) took place on 12 October 2022 at the Hoiana Resort and Golf (Hoiana), Quang Nam Province, Viet Nam, under the theme “Rebuild Tourism, Rebound with Resilience”. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Viet Nam hosted the event in collaboration with the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) and support of the Asian Development Bank.

The MTF 2022 was the region’s first in-person, government-led event since the pandemic marking a significant milestone in the recovery of tourism within GMS member countries. The event served as a platform for tourism stakeholders and development partners to reconnect in person, exchange tourism recovery communications knowledge and experiences, and gather new GMS travel insights from industry experts.

In light of the gradual international tourism recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, MTF 2022 focused on the theme “Rebuild Tourism, Rebound with Resilience”. The event brought together regional tourism leaders to rethink the rebuilding of GMS tourism by adopting resilience-based approaches and effectively leveraging technology to create a more sustainable and inclusive sector.

What happened at MTF 2022?

1. 1. 1. MTF 2022 Keynote: Tourism industry has been massively hit by the pandemic. The crisis calls for a need to rethink and reshape tourism towards a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient sector. “The Future of Tourism – Rethink Travel, Rethink Destination Marketing and Management” session discussed the evolution of mega trends and their impact on travel dynamics will evolve in Asia Pacific especially within the GMS, and how tourism stakeholders should adapt.
      2. Expert Perspectives: The ADB Tourism Expert shared views on “Sustainably Reviving Tourism – Mekong Reflections.”, whereby the concerted policies, regulations, and investments needed to ensure tourism resilience and sustainability, emphasizing quality infrastructure, nature-based solutions, and industry-wide adoption of environmentally friendly operational practices and diversification were highlighted.
      3. Expert Panels: Three expert-led panel discussions were featured. The first panel session on “Social Enterprises: A Purposeful and Powerful Tool for Sustainable Tourism Recovery, Development and Promotion” explored how social enterprises offer a promising business model for inclusive growth, environmental sustainability, and positive branding of destinations. The panelists discussed knowledge, skills, and resources required to enhance visibility, legitimacy, and legal frameworks to boost the competitiveness and leverage the power of social enterprises toward sustainable tourism recovery in the GMS. The second panel, “New Ways of Connecting Sustainable Tourism Suppliers and Buyers,” examined new strategies to connect sustainable tourism suppliers and buyers with markets, financing, and nature. The panelists discussed financing instruments, partnership structures, and incentivizing mechanisms for both tourism suppliers and buyers to collaborate with each other, investors, and development partners for a resilient and sustainable future. The final panel covered “Technology: Unlocking Green Tourism Opportunities,” in which the panelists shared best practices on leveraging digital tools to maximize the positive impacts of tourism on the environment and local communities. The panel discussion highlighted the challenges, solutions, and opportunities for tourism SMEs and MSMEs to better adopt technology and integrate into the booming digital economy. Each panel presented the panelists from both public and private sectors, to ensure that their voices were well represented.
      4. Sustainable Tourism Exhibit: The Mekong Tourism Forum hosted the 3-day Sustainable Tourism Exhibit, showcasing sustainable tourism, community-based tourism and local community products from across the GMS.
      5. GMS Sustainable Recovery VDO Showcase: Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world’s borders were blocked, all international travel was stopped, and the mobility of tourists was prohibited. Millions of people suddenly lost their jobs; the tourism industry was one of most severely hit industries. Although the tourism industry is recovering, tourism is vulnerable to threats with a number of uncertainties. There is a need for tourism sector to be more resilient and more sustainable than ever. The return of tourism to the GMS should not mean the return of the problems we encountered before the pandemic, such as overtourism, uneven distribution of tourism dividends, overreliance on too few source markets, pollution, etc. To avoid these, we need to rebuild tourism, but more than that, we also need to rebound with resilience. These were showcased in the GMS Sustainable Recovery, which featured tourism professionals’ insights on transforming tourism sector to become resilient.
      6. Media Familiarization Trip: In the occasion of the Mekong Tourism Forum 2022 and the Visit Vietnam Year 2022 which highlighted “Quang Nam – A Green Destination” as its theme, Quang Nam Provincial People’s Committee in coordination with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Viet Nam hosted a familiarization tour for a group of international media. The program itineraries introduced the unique travel experiences of Quang Nam provinces.
      7. Joint Media Statement: The 6 GMS National Tourism Organizations (NTOs) collectively announced the Joint Media Statement on the Mekong Tourism Forum 2022, highlighting the summary, the outcomes and the achievement of the event.
      8. Post Tour: All MTF delegates were offered exciting tours to explore the host destination in 3 different thematic routes, including Cultural Heritage Tourism route (two World Cultural Heritage Sites: My Son Sanctuary and Hoi An Ancient Town); Nature-based Tourism (Cu Lao Cham Biosphere Reserve and Tra Que Vegetable Village); and Green and Agro-Tourism (the story of Organic Agriculture and Circular Economy and Tra Que Vegetable Village).

    

   Click to view photos from MTF 2022

   Download Mekong Tourism 2022 Report

The Mekong Tourism Forum in 2020 and 2021 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Hosted by the Ministry of Culture & Tourism of P.R. China (MCT) in beautiful Dali and Xizhou Ancient Town in Yunnan from May 28-29, will focus on the theme of “Tourism – a driver for cultural heritage preservation and poverty alleviation”. 

What happened at MTF 2019? 

1. MTF 2019 Keynotes: Under the theme of “Tourism – a driver for cultural heritage preservation and poverty alleviation”, the discussions are varied from Tourism Development to Poverty Alleviation focus on the best practices from Yunnan province and P.R. China on the first part. The second part is focusing more on sustainable tourism development and cultural heritage preservation which is taken place by mini keynotes and panels from senior travel executives coming from different sectors, all focusing on sustainable tourism as a key driver to cultural heritage preservation and poverty alleviation. In addition to the keynotes and panels, the power of visual storytelling session has been added to promote and showcase the Greater Mekong Subregion through visual contents. ‎

2. Experience Mekong Collection Session: At this Mekong Tourism Forum, we are excited to launch the newly Experience Mekong Collection website at www.ExperienceMekong.org. We also showcased some of the most interesting members of the Experience Mekong Collection and tell their stories that make their experience unique and inspiring. 

3. Mekong Mini Movie Festival: The Mekong Mini Movie Festival is the first regional Mekong Tourism Marketing Campaign run on an international level. The member countries and private-sector partners to collaboratively promote the campaign maximising the impact as well as increasing the number of inspirational videos to inspire travellers to explore the Mekong Region. At this Mekong Tourism Forum, we concluded with a screening of some of the most inspiring videos of the 2nd Mekong Mini Movie Festival. 

4. Mekong Tourism Forum 2019 Cultural Immersion Experience: The highlight of the 2019 Mekong Tourism Forum will be the Xizhou Experience, and the option to interact in interactive learning and cultural immersion workshops. In order to create a most inclusive Mekong Tourism Forum, small businesses will provide interactive cultural workshops to learn and connect with the culture of the town, including tie-dye, felt making, woodblock printing, wood carving, baba/bread making, bai cooking, silver making, bai dancing, Mahjong with locals, and weaving. 

5. Plastic Free Event: The 2019 Mekong Tourism Forum continues to do its small part to raise awareness of the issue and make the event plastic free. As in previous years, the Mekong Tourism Forum continues to ban single-use plastic including plastic bags, plastic water bottles, and plastic straws. We ask all MTF 2019 delegates to respect our policy and refrain from using single-use plastic items and bring their own refillable water bottle, reusable bag, and bamboo straw (or equivalent) to the event. 

6. Mekong From Above Photo Exhibition: Again for this year, the exhibition is co-curated by Jaffee Yee and a number of local photographers from Yunnan province. The second Mekong From Above photo and video contest still continue in this year in collaborating between Knowledge media group Thailand and Destination Mekong.

 

Hosted by the Ministry of Tourism & Sports of Thailand (MoTS) in Nakhon Phanom at the Mekong River bordering to Laos from June 26-29, will focus on the trend of transformational travel with the theme “Transforming Travel – Transforming Lives”.

 

The 2017 Mekong Tourism Forum was hosted by the Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism of Lao PDR in
Luang Prabang from June 6-9.

What happened at MTF 2017?

1. Mekong Tourism Strategy Open Forum (in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank):

We invited the travel and tourism executives to join the Mekong Tourism Sector Strategy Open Forum to learn about the new GMS Tourism Sector Strategy 2016-2025, and how the tourism strategy could be effectively implemented over the next 10 years. ‎

2. Blogger Matchup @ MTF 2017 (in collaboration with Blogger Matchup):

Educating the industry on the importance of storytelling and how to work with bloggers and social influencers. ‎

3. MIST (Mekong Innovative Startups in Tourism):

MIST, which stands for Mekong Innovative Startups in Tourism, began in December 2016 as a joint venture between the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office and the Government of Australia and Asian Development Bank (ADB) supported Mekong Business Initiative (MBI). It includes a Startup Accelerator for early-stage startups from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam. It also includes a Market Access Program for mature startups based anywhere in the world that want MIST’s assistance localizing proven tourism products and solutions into the Greater Mekong Subregion. MIST received more than 250 applications in 2017.

4. MTF 2017 Keynote (sponsored by Exo Foundation):

Conscious.travel founder Ms Anna Pollock addressed the MTF 2017 delegates on the theme “Prosper with Purpose”. Up until a decade or so ago, the purpose of business was never questioned – it was simply to generate a profitable return for shareholders. In less than a decade, those core beliefs have shifted radically and smart tourism enterprises and destinations are tapping into a growing desire of guests to buy from and employees to work for companies that can communicate not just what they sell but what they stand for. By serving a purpose higher than the bottom line, they unleash the passion of their employees and satisfy their guest’s search for meaning and fulfillment. Rising destinations also have the opportunity to differentiate themselves by demonstrating how tourism genuinely benefits the broader host community.

5. Mekong Tourism Opportunities & Threats:

GMS travel stakeholders make passionate pleas on important opportunities and threats shaping the tourism industry in the GMS, from child protection, community-based tourism, storytelling, preserving heritage, Chinese consumers, and food tourism.

6. Mekong Tourism Break-Through Sessions:

16 sessions hosted by local travel operators in and around Luang Prabang facilitated by tourism experts take delegates on a journey throughout the UNESCO Heritage town.

7. Post Tours:

10 exciting experiences to explore Luang Prabang, hosted by Luang Prabang Tourism and private sector travel operators.

8. Refill Not Landfill (supported by GIZ):

in an effort to reduce plastic waste, each MTF 2017 delegate received a refillable water bottle bottle, and meeting venues dubbed as refill stations. Single-use plastic water bottles were banned during MTF 2017.

 

The 2016 Mekong Tourism Forum was hosted by the Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia in the beautiful Kingdom of Wonder of Cambodia from July 5-9 in Sihanoukville.

What happened at MTF 2016? ‎

1. Mekong Tourism Digital Boot-Camp (in collaboration with Digital Innovation Asia & Digi.travel): educating the industry on the importance of digital, social, and mobile. The event, hosted by the Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia, featured experts from BeMyGuest, Tang Dynasty (China), Egg Agency (Viet Nam), Guiddoo (India), and Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office. ‎ 

2. Mekong Tourism Strategy Open Forum (in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank): We invited the travel and tourism executives to join the Mekong Tourism Sector Strategy Open Forum to brainstorm how the tourism strategy foundation for the next 10 years should be set. 

3. Mekong Tourism Investment Summit (in collaboration with HVS): debating investment opportunities, risks, and challenges in the GMS, to create innovative partnerships by hoteliers, airliners, tour operators, cruise companies, banks and public sector. 

4. Mekong Tourism Symposium (opened by HE Dr. Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism of Cambodia): the main event of the Mekong Tourism Forum focusing on the MTF2016 theme “Authentic Experiences along the Mekong River”, with keynotes from the former Assistant Secretary General of the UNWTO, and National Geographic. 

5. Mekong Food Tourism Seminar (in collaboration with Thammasat University and Chameleon Strategies): The Mekong region couldn’t be better placed to satisfy the need, and position the region as a multi-country, must-visit tourism destination. The role of food tourism in the GMS can help position the Mekong Region as a unique and exciting travel destination. 

6. Post Tours: Exciting tours to explore Sihanoukville at the Southern Coast of Cambodia.

 

The 2015 Mekong Tourism Forum in Da Nang, Viet Nam, hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Viet Nam (MCST), the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), and the City of Da Nang, from June 15-19, 2015, features four events during four days, at zero cost registration free, including the Mekong Tourism Marketing Workshop, the Mekong Tourism Social Media Boot Camp, the Mekong Tourism Investment Summit, and the main Mekong Tourism Symposium to focus on bringing public and private sector together to collaborate, discuss, and debate on key issues to position the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) as a single tourism destination, promoting multi-country travel to secondary destinations. In addition, MTF15 will provide engaging networking, beautiful evening functions, a movie screening of an award-winning feature film, investment opportunity showcases, cooking demonstrations by Koto students during breaks, and a host destination ranked as one of the top beach destinations in the world.

What happened at MTF 2015?

1. Mekong Tourism Marketing Workshop (in collaboration with UNWTO, PATA, ATTA, GSTC, and Thammasat University): private and public sector collaboration on product development, aligned to the new Mekong Tourism Marketing Strategy, focusing on key themes and thematic routes in the GMS; from food, cruise, and community based tourism, to adventure tourism. 

2. Mekong Tourism Social Media Boot-Camp (in collaboration with Digital Innovation Asia): educating the industry on the importance of digital, social, and mobile. The event features experts from facebook, Tripadvisor, Dragon Trail (China), Rezgo (Canada), Guiddoo (India). 

3. Mekong Tourism Investment Summit (in collaboration with HVS, Horwath, and C9 Hotelworks): debating investment opportunities, risks, and challenges in the GMS, to create innovative partnerships by hoteliers, airliners, tour operators, cruise companies, banks and public sector. 

4. Mekong Tourism Symposium: the main event of the Mekong Tourism Forum focusing on the MTF2015 theme “Unlocking the Potential of Mekong Tourism via Innovative Partnerships”. 

5. Movie Screening: Gringo Trails: introduced by the film’s director and producer, movie screening of the award-winning feature film “Gringo Trails”, showing the unanticipated impact of tourism on cultures, economies, and the environment. ‎ 

6. Post Tours: exciting tours to explore the region, including Da Nang City (including Marble Mountains and Son Tra Peninsula), Hoi An City (a beautiful UNESCO heritage town), Ba Na Hills, and the Cotu Ethnic Minority Community Village ‎(one of Vietnam’s most authentic hill tribes).