Mekong messages flow to Berlin

BANGKOK Mekong Tourism is poised to announce a partnership with ITB, the world’s largest tourism tradeshow organiser, that will lift the profile of the Mekong Region in Asia and Europe.

Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office executive director, Jens Thranehart, in a New Year message to stakeholders and Mekong Region tourism supporters, said the partnership had taken two years to put together.

The partnership will open the door for the MTCO to secure a slot at the ITB Berlin and possibly ITB Asia to showcase what Thranehart described as a “mini Mekong Tourism Forum”.

“We are looking forward to adding a mini Mekong Tourism Forum to other trade shows worldwide to increase exposure of the GMS,” he said.

The annual Mekong Tourism Forum will be hosted this year in Luang Prabang from 6 to 8 June.

Now in its 21st edition, the forum attracts between 200 to 250 tourism stakeholders from the six member countries (Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand).

However the first ever Mekong Tourism Forum, in partnership with at ITB, takes the Mekong Region message to Berlin where a half-day forum will be hosted at ITB Berlin in early March.

“It will possibly continue annually and may get expanded to ITB Singapore and ITB China in the future, should we be successful,” Thranehart said in his New Year message.

Success will be measured by getting high attendance, positive reviews, as well as good media coverage, he said.

MTF@ITB will be launched with the theme “Human Capital Development”.

It will be held at ITB on Wednesday, 8 March from 1530 to 1645. Following the forum, the MTCO plans to host a Mekong Tourism Cocktail Reception.

For that venture to succeed the office urgently needs a sponsor.