New MekongTourism.org website wins prestigious award

BANGKOK – The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) announced it has won a 2015 Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Adrian Award for innovative website design and cutting edge marketing practices, for the recently re-launched MekongTourism.org digital platform.

“The HSMAI Adrian Awards have become the world’s most renowned and prestigious web marketing competition dedicated to the travel industry,” said Jens Thraenhart, Executive Director of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO). “Having re-developed the new responsive multi-site platform from the ground up, aligned to the recently launched Mekong Tourism Marketing Strategy and Action Plan 2015-2020, we are very honored to have our work acknowledged as a Silver winner in the 2015 competition.”

With support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) has developed a new mobile-ready digital platform in order to increase engagement with the global and regional travel and tourism industry. Functionality include an e-library housing documents for free download, a web-based events calendar with consumer and travel trade happenings in the GMS (Greater Mekong Subregion), a social media hub aggregating tagged user generated content, ten mobile optimized e-magazines powered by Flipboard to offer a personalized experience based on interests from adventure tourism to river-based tourism, an interactive map showcasing multi-country thematic routes, and a dedicated Mekong Tourism Forum website with mobile app. The organization is also active on social media with the universal handle @TourismMekong on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Flipboard, and Twitter.

MTCO invites the travel and tourism industry to get engaged and contribute their knowledge from articles to documents to the platform for the common good to drive tourism in the GMS, in exchange for being acknowledged and driving business and traffic to their respective organizations. An official contributor program, a social media campaign, and other initiatives are formally being launched in 2016, however interested parties wishing to contribute can contact the MTCO already.

This year’s HSMAI Adrian Award competition was extremely competitive with more than 1,300 entries submitted. MekongTourism.org was judged to be exceptional by experts in the hospitality, travel, tourism and media industries due to its approach and integrated strategy. Judges were asked to evaluate each entry based on its own merit and success in achieving its objectives.

The HSMAI Adrian Awards recognize the best in advertising, public relations, and digital marketing in the hospitality and travel industries, and are judged annually by experts in hospitality, travel, tourism, and media.

The Adrian Awards are presented by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International, an international organization representing each segment of hospitality, travel, and tourism. The winners will be honored at the Adrian Awards Dinner Reception & Gala, held Tuesday, February 16, 2016, at the New York Marriott Marquis hotel.

sourced:traveldailynews.asia