Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
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ASEAN, which allows citizens of ASEAN countries to travel freely within the region
(Chapter 1.3.2). Even though it did not address border crossings of non-ASEAN
travelers, the Mekong region benefited from easier traveling facilitation.
c) Strategic transportation (cross-border roads, bridges, railways) and other tourism
infrastructure are important.
d) ICT connectivity infrastructure is very often one of the most important factors for
travelers, and governments should consider the importance of mobile connectivity
to enable open travel and inclusive growth.
e) Developing new air, land, and sea routes connections.
f) Creation and implementing common tourism and competency standards.
g) Undertaking programs to build supply chains in the region and allowing local
businesses to have access to local sources to sustainable products.
Sustainability: A strong focus should be placed on the sustainability of the tourism corridor as
well as governance. Both are necessary to support any objectives set for a multi-country
corridor. Some policies should jointly be developed to preserve the corridor. The primary
experiences the corridor offers are the reason tourists are visiting. Making these and
preserving supporting communities are the reasons the corridor exists. This can be achieved
through policies to protect and preserve the environment, cultural sights, communities, or
historical structures. It is recommended that multi-national policies align with each other to
prevent confusion and to reach common high standards to preserve livelihoods and histories
of communities in collaboration with stakeholders with the goal of building sustainable and
inclusive growth for communities on the corridor.
Monitoring Performance: Once a tourism-corridor is formalized, multi-lateral policies to
define data harmonization should be created. Only with a common data format and in-depth
collection of data will it be possible for the partners to measure the success of a tourism
corridor and to decide on strategies and action plans jointly. The Greater Mekong Subregion
has a data harmonization working group, which meets regularly to develop a common
framework for all countries. Countries might assess the use of technology for data collection
and evaluation. Tourism cooperation can be an excellent vehicle for negotiating with
technology providers and, at the same time, establishing common standards.
Collaboration with Stakeholders: It is highly recommended that a framework is created for
stakeholder engagement and management (see chapter 1.3.4). It is important for any
framework to be able to create passion and to identify champions amongst stakeholders, who
will be ambassadors for the project. Such a program could be informal or formal, such as the
Tourism Advisor Group of the MTCO.
In addition, small and medium-sized and especially sustainable businesses on a corridor must
be aware of activities they can use to enhance their offerings and create pride in being part of
the tourism corridor and subsequently inviting and engaging visitors. Collaborative branding
is a robust tool for creating sustainable marketing for a tourism corridor through engaged
stakeholders. Policies that define how stakeholders on the ground can be involved in activities,
collaboratively promote them, and directly benefit them, are highly recommended. One such
structure is the Experience Mekong Collection of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office,
which provides social enterprises in the Mekong Region with a framework to directly benefit
and, at the same time, align with all other activities.