Tourism

Countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion are working together to promote the subregion as a single destination for international visitors and encourage communities to enhance the environmental, social, and economic benefits of tourism.

The Tourism Working Group (TWG) provides operational leadership and technical guidance to plan, implement, monitor, and evaluate subregional activities.

In September 2017, ministers from the six member countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) endorsed the GMS Tourism Sector Strategy 2016-2025 to enable more competitive, balanced, and sustainable destination development. The Strategy sets out five strategic directions: (a) develop human resources, (b) improve tourism infrastructure, (c) enhance visitor experiences and services, (d) conduct creative marketing and promotion activities, and (e) facilitate regional travel.

Work of the GMS tourism working group has included marketing sustainable and pro-poor tourism in the subregion through the development of multi-country tour packages; training government officials and people working in the tourism industry; producing local products for sale to tourists; and preserving the ecological and cultural heritage of key tourist sites in the subregion.

The GMS Economic Cooperation Program Strategic Framework 2030 (GMS-2030) builds on the current Tourism Strategy directions. Since the subregion’s tourism industry has been severely impacted, the GMS-2030 will promote recovery efforts, such as intraregional tourism. Over the long term, GMS-2030 will support the development of higher value-added and secondary destinations, as well as strengthen human capital, connectivity infrastructure, public–private linkages, and environmental sustainability. GMS-2030 was endorsed and adopted at the 7th GMS Summit of Leaders in September 2021. It aims to provide a new setting for the development of this subregion for the next decade.

Related

• Greater Mekong Subregion Tourism Sector Strategy 2016-2025

• Tourism Working Group (TWG)

• Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office website

Tourism

Focal Persons at the Asian Development Bank

  • Steven Schipani 
    Water and Urban Development Sector Office

    Sectors Group

  • Dee Suvimol Thanasarakij (Ms.)
    Executive Director, 
    Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office  
    www.mekongtourism.org 

Other Concerned Staff & Consultants

  • Zulfia Karimova, EAPF 
    Regional Cooperation and Integration Unit
    Central and West Asia Department

  • Mark Bezuijen
    Agriculture, Food, Nature, and Rural Development Sector Office
    Sectors Group

  • Asadullah Sumbal 
    Regional Cooperation and Integration Unit
    Southeast Asia Department

  • Alma Canarejo 
    Regional Cooperation and Integration Unit
    Southeast Asia Department/GMS Secretariat 

Send inquiries to GMS Secretariat. 

53rd GMS Tourism Working Group Meeting (TWG-53)

The 53rd GMS Tourism Working Group Meeting (TWG-53) was held on 23 April 2024 in Lijiang, People’s Republic of China (PRC). It was hosted by Bureau of International Exchanges and Cooperation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of PRC, Yunnan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, the People's Government of Lijiang City, and Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO), and co-organized by Lijiang Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, and Network of International Culturalink Entities. It was attended by senior and mid-level officials representing the National Tourism Organizations (NTOs) of the six Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries (Cambodia, PRC, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand-online, and Viet Nam), MTCO, Asian Development Bank (ADB), development partners and organizations including the ASEAN China Centre and ASEAN Japan Centre.

ADB-financed GMS Project to Strengthen Urban and Tourism Infrastructure, Enhance Women’s Opportunities in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will support the sustainable, inclusive, and resilient urban development of Luang Prabang, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), with financing worth $35 million via a concessional loan and a $10 million grant. The project is set to (i) improve the quality and coverage of urban infrastructure and services, (ii) strengthen institutions and capacity to foster climate and disaster resilient development pathways, (iii) promote inclusive and gender-responsive urban planning, and (iv) enhance women's leadership and economic empowerment. The Government of Lao PDR will complement the financing with in-kind contributions to support counterpart salaries and office facilities

Supporting Cambodia and Thailand's Pandemic-affected Areas

The COVID-19 pandemic created a crisis for communities around the world. In tourist hubs and border towns of Cambodia and Thailand, families were particularly hard hit, struggling to survive amid travel restrictions and economic downturns. To address this crisis, ADB tapped local-based civil society organization Mith Samlanh to implement a project which provided support and assistance to these communities.