Mekong Tourism Forum 2010 starts in Cambodia

The Mekong Tourism Forum 2010, the two-day event, kicked started today at Angkor Century Resort & Spa in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The focus of the forum is on the benefits to tourism that occur from new road corridors opening up in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS). The GMS countries include: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the southern Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Guangxi. The theme set for the Forum is ‘New Roads, New Opportunities’ to identify the challenges and opportunities faced by tourism in the region. Leading tour operators, hotel companies, airlines and development organizations are participating at the Forum along with tourism officials.

Apart from the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism and Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO), financial support for the Forum is being provided by the USAID-funded ASEAN Competitiveness Enhancement (ACE) project. The two-day Forum will include panel discussions on Pioneering Mekong Tourism Products, The Path to Community-based Tourism, How Sustainable Tourism Can Drive Profit, and The Road Ahead.

In his opening remarks to over 170 attendees at the inauguration ceremony, H.E. Kuosuom Saroeuth, Secretary of State, Ministry of Tourism, Cambodia said, “The Mekong Tourism Forum represents an inclusive, cooperative effort to encourage both public and private sector participation to represent the GMS as a single destination. We hope to expand our marketing networks, promote the GMS, and its stakeholders, and pool our collective resources to create synergy between the six countries of the region.”

Mason Florence, Executive Director, MTCO said, “The time is right for inspirational and innovative Cross-Border Tourism ideas that utilise the new road links. We're moving from infrastructure provision to promotion and protection in the GMS and therefore Mekong Tourism Forum will become an annual event again.”

During the two-day forum, delegates will also be updated by Mekong region governments about their plans for cooperation in tourism. Officials will update the audience on Visa regulations, airport developments, border crossing changes, and new policies and incentives for the industry.