The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) is administered out of the offices of the Department of Tourism of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand, based in Bangkok, and was established with funding from the six governments of Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Viet Nam, and Thailand, which represent the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS). A common goal of both of public and private sectors in all countries is to create sustainable tourism profit. This is achieved optimally by increasing inbound tourism yield, by developing quality products that tourists are willing to buy, and inciting longer stays with enhanced motivation to revisit. Thus, GMS’s strategy is to “develop and promote the Mekong Region as a single tourism destination. In 2016 the GMS welcomed 59.8 million international tourist arrivals, representing a 3% share of the global market. The MTCO, via Destination Mekong, aims to collaborate with public and private sectors to execute programs, such as Mekong Moments, the Mekong Mini Movie Festival, the Experience Mekong Collection, Mekong Trends, and the Mekong Innovative Startups in Tourism (MIST) program.
Learn MoreThe Mekong Tourism Forum provides a cooperative platform for public and private sector stakeholders in the tourism industry to discuss the development, marketing and promotion of travel to, from and within the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), and monitor sustainable and responsible tourism growth. The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) has revived the forum in 2010 taking place in Siem Reap, Cambodia, with the theme of “New Roads, New Opportunities”. Followed by MTF 2011 “Destination Mekong: The Making of a Star” in Pakse, Laos, MTF 2012 in Chiang Rai, Thailand with the theme of “20/20 Vision: Building on Two Decades of GMS Cooperation”, MTF 2013 in Guilin, China with the theme ““The Rise of the Chinese traveller: Optimizing the impacts for the GMS”, MTF 2014 in Mandalay, Myanmar with the theme “Tourism investment for the protection of Heritage and Culture”, MTF 2015 in Da Nang, Viet Nam with the theme “Unlocking the GMS via Innovative Partnerships”, and MTF 2016 in Sihanoukville, Cambodia with the theme “Authentic Experiences along the Mekong River.”. MTF 2017 in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR, with the theme “Prosper with Purpose”, MTF 2018 in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand with the theme “Transforming Travel – Transforming Lives”, and MTF 2019 in Dali, Yunnan, P.R.China with the theme “Tourism – a driver for cultural heritage preservation and poverty alleviation”.
Learn MoreThe 2022 Mekong Tourism Forum will be held in 2022 in Viet Nam. More information will be announced and updated soon.
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