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GMS Sector Activities
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| YEAR | DATE | ACTIVITY |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | May | 21st Tourism Working Group Meeting (TWG-21) (20 May 2008) |
| January | GMS Tourism Ministers' Meeting (21 January 2008) | 2007 | December | GMS Tourism Working Group Ad Hoc Meeting (3 December 2007) |
| September | 20th Tourism Working Group Meeting (TWG-20) (13-14 September 2007) | |
| March | 19th Tourism Working Group Meeting (TWG-19) (29 March 2007) | |
| 2006 | September | 18th Meeting of the Tourism Working Group (10 September 2006) |
| March | 17th Tourism Working Group (TWG-17)/ Mekong Tourism Investment Summit (28-30 March 2006) | |
| 2005 | June | Third Regional Workshop on the Draft GMS Tourism Sector Strategy (9-10 June 2005) |
| March | 16th Meeting of the GMS Tourism Working Group (TWG-16) and 10th Mekong Tourism Forum (25-27 March 2005) | |
| Second Subregional Workshop for Preparation of the GMS Tourism Sector | ||
| February | First Subregional Workshop for the Preparation of the GMS Tourism Sector Strategy | |
| January | Second Working Group Meeting on Single Visa | |
| 2004 | September | GMS Seminar for Pro-poor Tourism |
| March | Ninth Mekong Tourism Forum and 15th Working Group Meeting on Tourism | |
| 2003 | March | 14th Meeting of the GMS Tourism Working Group Convenes in Hanoi (TWG-14) (28-30 March 2003) |
| Record Attendance at the 8th Mekong Tourism Forum Amid SARS Scare (29-30 March 2003) | ||
| 2002 | April | Seventh Mekong Tourism Forum and 13th Working Group Meeting on Tourism [ PDF: 167kb | 13 pages ] |
The 21st Meeting of the GMS Tourism Working Group (TWG-21) was held in Sihanoukville, Cambodia on 20 May 2008. The Meeting was attended by participants from the national tourism offices of the six GMS countries: Cambodia, PRC (Guangxi and Yunnan), Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam, and representatives of development partners including the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV), UNESCO, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Tourism Trade Report Weekly, and the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO).
The Meeting discussed follow-through initiatives to implement key directives for the tourism sector of the Third GMS Summit held in Vientiane in March 2008. The Summit directives include the strengthening of sustainable management of natural and cultural tourism sites, promotion of joint marketing of tourism in the Subregion, and strengthening of the MTCO. These directives are consistent with the tourism development and marketing agenda that were endorsed by the GMS Tourism Ministers at their meeting in Bangkok in January 2008. Pursuant to the Summit directives and to jump start implementation of priority tourism projects under the Vientiane Plan of Action that was endorsed by the GMS Leaders at the Summit, TWG-21 discussed plans for 4 workshops in 2008. The workshops will cover (i) HRD vocational training course for SMEs to be held in Cambodia; (ii) pro-poor tourism focusing on public-private partnerships to be held in Lao PDR; (iii) tourism and biodiversity to be held in Thailand; and (iv) scenic corridors along the East-West Economic Corridor to be held in Viet Nam. The workshops, to be funded by ADB and the French Government, will finalize 4 project proposals for submission to donors.
In addition, TWG-21 discussed MTCO’s tourism marketing plan for 2009 that will move toward building the Mekong tourism brand, including the development of a slogan and logo on the theme “Explore the Mekong” that captures the key elements of nature, culture, and people, and other related activities to involve private sector partnership and collaboration. Other issues and concerns about MTCO’s financial, technical, and administrative operations were also discussed. Side meetings on Tourism Development Cooperation in the Emerald Triangle and the Mekong Tourism Development Project were also held immediately before (19 May) and after (21 May) TWG-21.
For more details, please view entire proceedings [ PDF: 314kb | 17 pages ]
Tourism Ministers of the 6 GMS countries met in Bangkok on 21 January 2008 on the sideline of the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2008 and ASEAN Tourism Ministers' Meeting held on 17-26 January 2008. The meeting was also attended by senior officials of the national tourism organizations of the GMS countries and development partners with active interest and participation in tourism development in the Subregion. The GMS Tourism Ministers endorsed a GMS Tourism Marketing Plan and a GMS Tourism Development Plan, developed by the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) in close consultation with the GMS Tourism Working Group (TWG). The decisions of the GMS Tourism Ministers will feed into the preparations for the Third GMS Summit in March 2008. The Ministers issued a joint ministerial statement [ PDF: 496kb | 3 pages ] at the close of their meeting.
For more details, please view entire proceedings [ PDF: 25mb | 98 pages ].
An Ad Hoc Meeting of the GMS Tourism Working Group (TWG) was held in Vientiane, Lao PDR on 3 December 2007. The Meeting was attended by participants from the national tourism offices of the six GMS countries: Cambodia, PRC (Guangxi Province), Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam, as well as representatives of development partners including the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Representatives of the South Asia Economic Cooperation Program (SASEC) Tourism Working Group also attended as observers. The Meeting reviewed and considered a draft GMS Tourism Marketing Strategy and a draft GMS Tourism Action Plan to implement the priority projects under the GMS Tourism Sector Strategy, for further refinement by the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office and eventual endorsement by the GMS Tourism Ministers. The provisional agenda and Draft Joint Ministerial Statement as well as other arrangements for the GMS Tourism Ministers’ Meeting scheduled to be held in Bangkok, Thailand in January 2008 were also discussed. Preparations for the proposed “Ecotourism in the GMS” exhibition for the Third GMS Summit in March 2008 were finalized. Finally, the Working Group discussed the status of the selection process for a new Executive Director of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) and considered alternative steps to ensure the smooth operations of MTCO until the new Executive Director is recruited.
For more details, please view entire proceedings [ PDF: 8mb | 127 pages ].
The 20th Meeting of the GMS Tourism Working Group (TWG-20) was held in Lijiang, Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China on 13-14 September 2007, attended by representatives of national tourism organizations of the GMS countries, development partners, and the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO). The meeting discussed the planned preparation by MTCO of a marketing strategy and action plan for GMS tourism. The TWG-20 provided guidance on the preparation of a detailed implementation and action plan for priority subregional tourism projects. The progress of the seven priority programs of the GMS Tourism Sector Strategy was also discussed. TWG-20 also discussed the preparations for the GMS Tourism Ministers' Meeting to be held in January 2008 in Bangkok, Thailand; and the tourism exhibits to be featured at the Third GMS Summit.
For more details, please view entire report.
The 20th Meeting of the GMS Tourism Working Group (TWG-20) was held in Lijiang, Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China on 13-14 September 2007, attended by representatives of national tourism organizations of the GMS countries, development partners, and the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO). The meeting discussed the planned preparation by MTCO of a marketing strategy and action plan for GMS tourism. The TWG-20 provided guidance on the preparation of a detailed implementation and action plan for priority subregional tourism projects. The progress of the seven priority programs of the GMS Tourism Sector Strategy was also discussed. TWG-20 also discussed the preparations for the GMS Tourism Ministers' Meeting to be held in January 2008 in Bangkok, Thailand; and the tourism exhibits to be featured at the Third GMS Summit.
For more details, please view entire report.
The 19th Meeting of the GMS Tourism Working Group (TWG-19) was held on 29 March 2007 in Ho Chi Minh City , Viet Nam . TWG-19 was organized by the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism, with the Mekong Tourism Coordination Office (MTCO) as secretariat. The meeting was attended by representatives of the national tourism organizations of Cambodia , Lao PDR, Myanmar , Thailand and Viet Nam , and the provincial tourism organizations of Yunnan and Guangxi provinces of PRC as well as representatives from development partners and the private sector. The participation of the GMS delegates was fully financed by their respective governments, reflecting their strong commitment to subregional tourism cooperation.
TWG-19 (i) reviewed the achievements of the MTCO since its establishment in February 2006, as well as the challenges and expected outputs for its second year of operation; (ii) considered a proposal from Thailand on a GMS Tourism Cooperation Manual; (iii) reviewed the progress of the 29 priority projects under the GMS Tourism Sector Strategy; and (iv) discussed tourism-related projects under the GMS Core Environment Program. The TWG approved extending support to the MTCO for its second year of operation with a contribution of an additional $15,000 from each NTO. The Working Group noted that the French Government is seconding a tourism specialist to the ADB who will be based in the MTCO as Project Coordinator starting June 2007 to assist the NTOs in the implementation of the priority projects under the GMS Tourism Sector Strategy.
Discussions with representatives of the GMS Environment Operations Center based in Bangkok on tourism-related projects under the Core Environment Program (CEP) underscored the need for close cooperation and coordination between the CEP, the TWG, and MTCO to avoid duplication and enhance the win-win potential relationship between sustainable tourism development and the protection of the environment.
TWG-19 was followed by a GMS Tourism Investment Forum: Financing and Investing in Tourism SMEs held on 30 March 2007. About 200 representatives from SMEs, banks, investment companies, government agencies, and interest groups from within and outside the GMS discussed constraints, challenges, and opportunities to facilitate access to finance by tourism SMEs in the GMS.
The 7th Subregional Project Steering Committee Meeting of the GMS Mekong Tourism Development Project was also held to review the progress of implementation of the various project components. Another related activity was the 6th Regional Networking Meeting on Pro-Poor Tourism which focused on the theme gender and development.
For more details, please view entire report [ PDF: 312kb | 31 pages ].
The 18th Meeting of the Tourism Working Group (TWG-18) was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 10 September 2006. It was attended by officials from the National Tourism Organizations of the 6 GMS countries and observers from bilateral and multilateral donors and the private sector.
The Working Group agreed on the need to prioritize and sequence the 29 priority projects identified in the GMS Tourism Sector Strategy in order to provide better focus and streamline efforts and resources for their implementation. The meeting also reviewed the status of implementation for the 1st semester and proposed activities for the 2nd semester under the work plan of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) which started operating 6 months earlier. TWG-18 was a landmark event in that a GMS country fully chaired a TWG meeting for the first time, with the MTCO as Secretariat. This development and the continued commitment of the GMS countries to fully fund their participation in TWG meetings reflect the strong ownership of subregional cooperation in this sector by the participating countries.
For more details, please view entire proceedings [ PDF: 31kb | 5 pages ].
The 14th Meeting of the GMS Tourism Working Group was held in Hanoi on 28-30 March 2003. The Meeting reviewed progress made in the eight priority GMS tourism programs:
The Meeting also reviewed the agenda of the Working Group to make it more in line with the GMS Tourism Development Flagship Program, which was endorsed by the GMS Summit of Leaders in November 2002. Other important issues discussed by the Working Group include:
The Meeting discussed the issue of a GMS tourism visa, which was suggested at the First GMS Summit of Leaders in Phnom Penh in November 2002. The Meeting agreed in principle to the concept because it will facilitate travel by tourists from non-GMS countries and support the promotion of the GMS as a single destination. The GMS visa is envisioned to be like the "schengen" visa in Europe, where visitors from outside schengen region need only to get the visa from any one of the participating country but which would be valid to the rest of the participating countries. It was proposed that initially the GMS visa will be provided in accordance with agreed eligibility criteria, such as restricting the visa to group tour participants.
For more details, please view entire proceedings.
Despite anxieties brought about by the outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in some parts of Asia, the 8th Mekong Tourism Forum (MTF) was successfully convened in Hanoi on 29-30 March with record attendance.
The number of registered participants to the Forum reached 265 - a new record high for this major GMS tourism event, which has been held since 1996.
The Forum is being held to provide a platform for the public and private sectors of the six GMS countries to discuss and address subregional tourism issues, as well as to raise the profile of the GMS as a tourist destination. The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is the organizer of the MTF, in collaboration with ADB and UN ESCAP.
The theme of the 8th MTF was "Innovation: Selling the Mekong in a Dynamic Marketplace". The keynote presentation entitled "Facing the Marketing Shift" was delivered by Mr. John Morse, Chairman, Tourism Victoria.
For the entire proceedings, email: gms@adb.org
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