Danang hosts free Mekong Tourism Forum

BANGKOK  Free for the travel trade, the 2015 Mekong Tourism Forum will be hosted by Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and in the central region gateway city of Danang, 16 to 19 June, 2015.
The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office said it has settled on a theme ‘Unlocking the Potential of the Mekong Region via Innovative Partnerships’ for the annual forum.
Covering the six member countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion the forum attempts to address challenges and opportunities in building a sustainable regional tourism industry.
Apart from investment opportunities, the forum also looks at the challenges facing overland tourism between members; Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the China’s provinces of Yunnan and Guangxi.
inside no 6The forum is supported by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The event usually attracts around 200 government, NGO and private sector representatives of Mekong region tourism.
Discussions are repetitive as many of the problems facing the region remain unresolved over decades especially regulations governing cross-border vehicle transport and the critical issue of left and right hand drive regulations in Vietnam as well as the requirement for foreign car drivers to be accompanied by a police vehicle.
However, the arrival of the ASEAN Economic Community 2015 with the promise of fewer barriers and opens skies for airlines serving major cities, could herald big changes for the sub-region group. All of its members except China are full members of ASEAN.
inside no 6.1Also Danang is emerging as a gateway for tourism to Vietnam’s central region offering a mix of world heritage destinations and five-star beach resorts.
“We are looking forward to hosting this influential networking gathering and invite the world to Vietnam’s beautiful central coast,” said Dinh Ngoc Duc, Director General, International Cooperation Department, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.
“We are in a pivotal time when innovative partnerships are essential to unlock the potential of the Mekong region and strengthen collaboration between the private and public sectors,” he said.
“Today villages and towns in the GMS are benefiting from the arrival of tourists where there were none before,” said Jens Thraenhart, who was appointed executive director of the Bangkok-based Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office at the close of the June 2013 forum.
“At the Mekong Tourism Forum we will discuss investment prospects and hear from tourism operators who are already taking advantage of opportunities along the new overland corridors.”
The good news for delegates is the decision to make the 2015 Mekong Tourism Forum registration free for qualified industry professionals.

sourced:ttrweekly.com