Mekong Countries Unveil Joint Tourism Strategy to Promote New Era of Prosperity

Six countries sharing the Mekong River have formulated a long-term tourism strategy that promotes an integrated, prosperous, and equitable vision of the subregion over the next five to 10 years, according to the ADB press release issued on 30 Oct 2005.

The strategy was prepared by the Tourism Working Group of the Greater Mekong subregion (GMS) country National Tourism Organizations with the financial assistance of ADB.

The six countries of the GMS - Cambodia, People's Republic of China, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam - share not only the Mekong river but a rich and diverse natural and cultural heritage.

The main aim under the strategy is to develop and promote the Mekong as a single destination, offering a diversity of high quality programs that can help to distribute the benefits of tourism more widely; and contribute to poverty reduction, gender equality and empowerment of women, and sustainable development, while minimizing adverse impacts.

Seven core strategic programs have been identified to meet this overall objective - in marketing, human resource development, heritage and social impact management, pro-poor tourism development, private sector participation, the facilitation of the movement of tourists to and within the subregion, and the development of tourism-related infrastructure.

The strategy programs will be implemented through 13 projects that deal with the planning and development of priority tourism zones and 16 thematic projects dealing with specific GMS-wide interventions in the area of human resource development, management of cultural and natural heritage and social impacts, pro-poor tourism development, private sector participation, and cross-border facilitation.

Most project implementation will be undertaken at the GMS country level with one country taking the overall lead. The single destination marketing program and project coordination will be undertaken by a new subregional tourism development institution to be called the Mekong Tourism Coordination Office that will be based initially in Bangkok.

"The implementation of the strategy will position the subregion as a single destination for culture, nature and adventure tourism products and markets that can benefit the poor in an environmentally and socially responsible manner," says, Alfredo Perdiguero, Project Economist in ADB.

"It will create a more equitable distribution of tourism benefits by increasing the share of total arrivals in less-developed subregional countries. It will raise the capacity of the sub region’s tourism human resources to plan, develop, manage, and operate the sector at a higher standard, and ensure that ethnic communities and women have equal access to training and job opportunities by 2010."

The strategy will also contribute substantially to the protection of natural and cultural heritage sites by building capacity to protect and enhance them. There will be related measures to ensure a more environmentally responsible approach by the private sector and industry.

It will lay the foundation for boosting pro-poor tourism development in the subregion that can help raise 1 million-1.2 million persons out of extreme poverty by 2015.

Measures will be taken protect vulnerable groups including women, children, and ethnic communities from exploitation and the impact of the transmission of diseases such as HIV/AIDS, while enhancing their opportunities and access to wholesome livelihoods.

Key support was provided to the strategy by development partners, including the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), World Tourism Organization (WTO), and the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV).

The private sector, academic and vocational training institutions, and nongovernmental organizations also made a significant contribution toward the formulation of the strategy. The Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Thai Government made available space and equipment at its Bangkok offices for the project team during the course of the project.

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	Mekong Countries Unveil Joint Tourism Strategy to Promote New Era of Prosperity