Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
93
Figure 33: GMS Tourism Cooperation Strategic Framework312
Source: Mekong Tourism (2019)
3. Most of the strategies in the framework are guidelines for the partner governments in
their development of the tourism sector. The main strategies, the MTCO supports
actively are as follows:
Human Resource Development: The MTCO conducts capacity building activities in the form
of industry training and presentations.
Improve tourism infrastructure: The MTCO has a startup program called Mekong
Innovative Startups in Tourism (MIST) to support entrepreneurship in the region and also
enhance social and environmental impact.
Enhance Visitor Experiences & Services: The Experience Mekong Collection has been
created to build a network of socially responsible companies in the region and provide
them with services and knowledge exchange. This program, which already has over 350
members, is currently being enhanced.
Creative Marketing and Promotion: The MTCO launched the Mekong Moments portal to
allow for collaborative marketing and entice any business in the region to run social media
contests through the porta. The MTCO is running their own campaigns, such as the Mekong
Mini Movie Festival on this portal. In addition, the MTCO manages multiple social media
channels to promote the region and its initiatives.
Facilitate Regional Travel: Through the creation of regional travel routes, the MTCO is
supporting the governments to jointly promote cross-border travel. Route-specific
workshops are held to coordinate the efforts.
Communication Tools
The GMS TWC normally meets twice a year. One meeting is typically held alongside the MTF
when it takes place in one of the GMS countries. The venue of GMS TWC meetings rotates
among the six participating countries. In principle, there are two meetings per year. The
Meeting summary of proceedings can be downloaded from the Mekong Tourism website.313 In
312 "Tourism Sector Strategy," Mekong Tourism, accessed August 14, 2019,
313 Ibid.