40th Meeting of the GMS Tourism Working Group (TWG-40)

The 40^th Meeting of the Greater Mekong Subregion Tourism Working Group (TWG-40) was held in Yangon, Myanmar on 4 December 2017. It reviewed the progress of implementation of projects and activities under the GMS Tourism Marketing Strategy 2015-2020.

The working group discussed the concept of a proposed 1^st Annual Mekong Mini Movie Festival as a regional GMS marketing campaign with public and private sector collaboration to promote the subregion via social media, and the proposed creation of Marketing GMS Tourism Task Forces to serve as a multi-disciplinary platform for subregional marketing and promotion.

The meeting also discussed the 2018 GMS Tourism Workplan aligned with the recently endorsed Tourism Sector Strategy 2018-2025 and public-private partnership projects, such as Mekong Moments, Mekong Stories, Mekong Trends, Experience Mekong Collection, and Destination Mekong that present opportunities to leverage the rising wealth in Asia for regional travel.

Further, the meeting reviewed the progress of implementation of the Asian Development Bank-financed GMS Tourism Infrastructure for Inclusive Growth in Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, and Viet Nam. It also reviewed plans for the 2018 Mekong Tourism Forum to be held in Nhakom Phanom, Thailand on 25-29 June 2018 with the theme “Transforming Travel – Transforming Lives.”

A closed meeting of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) Board was held following TWG-40 to discuss pending issues regarding the draft agreement to establish the MTCO as an inter-governmental organization.