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Sustainable Destination Management

Strategies in the OIC Member Countries

79

3.

Case Studies

3.1.

Global Tourism Corridors

3.1.1.

The Greater Mekong Subregion Tourism Corridor

A.

Background

The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) comprises six countries that are linked by the Mekong

River: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and parts of the People’s Republic of

China (PRC), (Yunnan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region). Since the early

1990s, the GMS countries have seen exceptional economic growth, “facilitating region’s

transformation into regional economic powerhouse

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.” To counteract increasing disparities

among these six countries and between urban centers and rural areas, the Asian Development

Bank (ADB) has developed an economic corridor model focusing on transboundary roads

between major commercial centers, aligning these roads through remote areas. In total nine

corridors have been developed by the ADB in the GMS

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.

With its over 350 million inhabitants, the vast array of landscapes, a multitude of ethnic groups,

and differing histories, the GMS is a diverse and dynamic region that includes a variety of

outstanding tourism attractions. In recognition of the substantial contribution that tourism can

make to poverty reduction, sustainable development, and inclusive economic growth, sub-

regional tourism cooperation has been included as a flagship program, the so-called Greater

Mekong Subregion (GMS) tourism program, in the GMS Economic Cooperation Program

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by

1993. The focus during the first decade was sub-regional cooperation initiatives in the tourism

sector based on marketing the GMS as a single destination, developing tourism-related

infrastructure, improving the quality of human resources, promoting the dialogue between

private and public sectors, and facilitating the movement of tourists in the subregion

264

.

The GMS has abundant tourism assets, including the iconic Mekong River, many archaeological

sites, lush tropical monsoon forests, rare wildlife, and pristine sea beaches. Diverse cultural

heritage, such as religious and vernacular architecture, music, literature, cuisine, and diverse

ethnic knowledge, enrich this subregion, and add to the appeal of its striking landscapes and

vibrant urban centers. There are 22 properties inscribed on the United Nations Educational,

Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) World Heritage List, and 692 internationally

categorized natural protected areas covering 547,645 square kilometers. The expansion of the

gaming industry is also a key driver of intraregional tourism

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. Furthermore, the GMS is

261

Asian Development Bank,

Economic Corridor Development for Inclusive Asian Regional Integration. Modeling Approach to

Economic Corridors

(Mandaluyong City: Asian Development Bank, 2014. Retrieved from

https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/31150/economic-corridor-development.pdf

).

262

Ibid.

263

World Tourism Organization,

Mekong River-Based Tourism Product Development

(Madrid: UNWTO, 2016. Retrieved from

https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284418015

).

264

Asian Development Bank,

Strategy and Action Plan for the Greater Mekong Subregion East-West Economic Corridor

(Mandaluyong City: Asian Development Bank, 2010. Retrieved from

https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/27496/gms-action-plan-east-west.pdf

).

265

Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office,

Experience Mekong: Greater Mekong Subregion Tourism Marketing Strategy and

Action Plan 2015–2020

(Bangkok: Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office, 2015. Retrieved from

http://www.gms

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