Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
88
 Private sector advisory groups include members of industry associations, and the
newly formed Mekong Tourism Advisory Group engages in (i) the coordination and
support of multi-country products, (ii) supports and participates in events to promote
GMS tourism and (iii) should identify constraints on the business environment;
 Destination Mekong has been created in 2017 to promote the Mekong region,
comprising of Cambodia, PR China (Provinces of Guangxi and Yunnan), Laos,
Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and Yunnan (PRC) as a single tourism destination to
stimulate responsible and sustainable development and investment, and drive
inclusive growth. Endorsed by the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office and aligned
with the mandate of the regional collaborative tourism framework of the six member
governments of the Greater Mekong Subregion, Destination Mekong executes
targeted projects and initiatives via a public-private partnership investment
structure. Destination Mekong is led by a private sector company, UNWTO Affiliate
Member Chameleon Strategies.
 Program and project implementation agencies include, on the one hand, government
agencies responsible for tourism, education, public works and transport, cultural and
natural heritage management, safety and security, and urban planning. 298 On the
other hand, the MTCO has established a strategic framework – Destination Mekong –
to support programs through public-private partnerships.
Figure 32: Initiatives by the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office299
Source: Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (2018)
Mekong Tourism Forum
The Mekong Tourism Forum provides a cooperative platform for stakeholders in the tourism
industry to discuss the development, marketing, and promotion of travel to, from, and within
298 Ibid.
299 "Mekong Tourism Overview 2018," Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office, last modified 2018,