Mekong Tourism Collaboration

Tourism in the Mekong Region is steered collaboratively by a public-private framework between the public and private sectors.

The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office, which is the secretariat of the Tourism Working Group, and Destination Mekong, which is the destination marketing organization led by private sector partners, are both managing initiatives aligned to the GMS Tourism Strategy to create a sustainable and inclusive environment to support businesses and communities in the Mekong Region and provide benefits for all stakeholders – residents, travelers, and businesses.

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Destination Mekong coordinated the organization of consultative workshop of the Mekong Tourism Recovery Communications Plan

On June 15, Destination Mekong coordinated the organization of the workshop of the Mekong Tourism Recovery Communications Plan, an initiative by the six governments facilitated by the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office with technical assistance from the Asian Development Bank.

A brief summary of the meeting is available here

The MIST program evolves from “Mekong Innovative Startups in Tourism” to “Mekong Innovations in Sustainable Tourism”.

MIST program aims to expedite tourism industry growth, create an ecosystem that inspires innovation, and promote sustainability in tourism

Bangkok December 20, 2020:  The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) (www.MekongTourism.org) as the secretariat of the Tourism Working Group of the six national tourism organizations of the Greater Mekong Subregion, and Destination Mekong (www.DestinationMekong.com), the public-private collaboration framework of the Lancang-Mekong Region, in consultation with the six member governments of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) and its partner the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has decided to evolve the 4-year old trail-blazing initiative. Originally limited to only startups in the two categories of travel tech and travel social enterprises, the evolved MIST program will focus on innovations in sustainable tourism, resilience, and climate change in the Greater Mekong Subregion, aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Nominations are open to any business entity, from startups to established corporates, from NGOs to governments, and from individuals to partnerships, coming from the six member countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion, as well as from all over the world if the initiative can be applied to driving sustainability and resilience in the Mekong Region.

For this new chapter of MIST, the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office has decided to bring onboard the Swiss-based Ecosystem builder Seedstars. According to Jens Thraenhart, Executive Director of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office, and Chair of Destination Mekong: “This is an important and significant step forward to continue to innovate our initiatives to stay relevant to the changing needs of the tourism industry, during and post the current COVID-19 pandemic. Keeping our powerful MIST brand, the focus will be on innovative and creative projects and concepts driving sustainability and resilience to recover travel and tourism in the Greater Mekong Subregion.”

In the first quarter of 2021, MIST will invite nominations from startups, established companies, government organizations, NGOs, academia, media, as well as individuals, students, and partnerships. For an entry to be accepted it needs to be an operating initiative or project that drives sustainable tourism and resilience. The MIST jury, made up of members of the Mekong Tourism Advisory Group (MeTAG – https://www.destinationmekong.com/mekong-tourism-advisory-group/) and Seedstars, will judge the final pitches during a hybrid MIST Forum planned for the second half of 2021 in Bangkok.  Nominations are being accepted starting February 1, 202 until April 31, 2021 at www.MIST.asia (https://mist.asia/nomination-2/), and existing MIST nominations are being considered based on the new criteria.  The MIST program celebrates creative ideas and innovation, featuring qualified initiatives on the Mekong Innovations Showcase (https://www.destinationmekong.com/projects/mekong-coronavirus-innovations/), encouraging partnerships and investments.  

Now in its 4th year, the MIST program has been one of the first tourism board globally pioneering its own travel startup program, integrating innovation and entrepreneurship with the travel and tourism ecosystem. Destination Mekong and the Mekong Business Initiative – with the backing of the Government of Australia, the Asian Development Bank, and the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office – launched MIST in 2016 to propel innovation in the rapidly growing tourism markets of the Greater Mekong Subregion. MIST aims to expedite tourism industry growth, create an ecosystem that inspires innovation, and promote sustainability in tourism.  The MIST program is guided by an international advisory board made up of travel executives and investors in the travel and tourism industry.

In 2017 and 2018, the final pitching competitions were integrated into the Mekong Tourism Forums in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR and Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, respectively.  In 2019, Destination Mekong partnered with the Travel Startups Asia Forum in Bangkok, to host the final MIST pitching competition, and inspired delegates with panels and keynotes including from former Minister of Sports and Tourism if Thailand, HE Mr Weerasak Kowsurat and Nok Air Founder Mr. Patee Sarasin. The successful MIST Mentorships Bootcamp was hosted at the offices of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in Bangkok, conducting workshops by investors, travel executives, and MIST alumni for MIST 2019 finalists. Winners of the travel technology category were invited to present at the MIST Forum at ITB Asia in Singapore.

MIST 2019 Group Photo at Travel Startup Asia Forum in Bangkok, October 9th, 201

ADB Hackathon Seeks Pitches for Digital Solutions to Spur Travel

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is seeking pitches for a hackathon on the best digital solutions that can kick-start travel in Southeast Asia in the wake of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Southeast Asia’s tourism sector was hit hard by the pandemic, along with the small and medium-sized enterprises that depend on tourists for their income. The World Travel and Tourism Council estimates Asia and the Pacific’s tourism sector can lose up to $1.1 trillion in income and 69.3 million jobs in 2020 due to the pandemic. 

The hackathon, Re-establishing Tourism Confidence through Innovative Digital Solutions: Fast-tracking Tourism Recovery in Southeast Asia, promises a $10,000 prize for the winner who can come up with a digital solution that can entice people to travel again.

“Digital solutions allow for seamless integration of information flow,” said Marc Lepage, Principal IT Specialist at ADB, on the potential of technology to help revive travel in the region.

As a member of the ADB digital innovation team that set up the online challenge, Lepage says an app can be a useful tool for a traveler, who wants information at the palm of his hand. “I can look up what specific tourism operators are doing about COVID-19 that would make me feel safe to use their service, while looking, in the same app, at the process I need to go through—from immigration, airport, and official instructions. These all vary depending of where I’m coming from and where I’m going and the passport I’m holding—a digital solution that brings it all together and provides specific advice given my context would make travel easier in the COVID-19 context.”

As a traveler himself, he would also want information on the safety measures hotels offer to make him feel safer about traveling.

The hackathon named the following areas of interests for the challenge: 

  • Real-time updates on COVID-19 health and safety protocols implemented by public and private tourism service providers and information about evolving visa, air and ground transport, accommodation, tours, food and beverage services, and other tourism business operations
     
  • Integrated end-to-end travel planning tools (air and ground transport, accommodations, food and beverages, health, and wellness, etc.) that integrate COVID-19 safety and prevention measures
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  • Creative digital marketing campaigns that maintain destination visibility and engender consumer confidence to travel again.

The deadline for application is on 17 January 2021.

More information: https://challenges.adb.org/en/challenges/new-normal-tourism-confidence-through-innovative-digital-solutions?lang=en&fbclid=IwAR1qfWLXCGel0yuSciABVAe3cnQiYC0YHad9VzBs6bntMGz4J4IVam2gp9E

2019 MIST Winners Announced

This year, MIST was held in Bangkok together with the new Travel Startups Asia Forum, featuring startup stories from successful travel ventures and MIST Alumni. The opening keynote was given by Senator and former Minister of Tourism and Sports of Thailand HE Mr Weerasak Kowsurat who linked the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship to tourism development in Thailand and the Mekong Region. The closing keynote was given by founder of Nok Airways Mr Patee Sarasin, who gave valuable insights from his experiences in starting an airline in Southeast Asia.

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Global Report on Inclusive Tourism Destinations

This Global Report: Inclusive Tourism Destinations has been drawn up by the team of the globaldit firm with the World Tourism Organization. It sets out a Model for inclusive tourism destinations from a supply point of view, in which inclusion refers to the capacity of the tourism system to integrate disadvantaged groups so that they can participate in, and benefit from, tourism activity. The model is made up of a set of principles, definitions and public policy tools that have proved to be appropriate in various places and contexts for improving access to tourism activities for the most disadvantaged groups in society, converting them into suppliers of tourism services or suppliers to the sector.

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