Bangkok, Thailand, February 21, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / The Experience Mekong Collection (EMC) was established four years ago, in September 2017, to promote and recognize sustainable and responsible tourism development. Seventy-two member companies—ten from each of the six GMS member countries, plus the two finalists from the previous year who did not win—were shortlisted to determine the six finalists for the third annual Experience Mekong Showcase. The selection will be made by public vote and announced at the 2nd virtual Destination Mekong Summit in May 2021. The Experience Mekong Collection showcases small, responsible, and sustainable travel companies in the Greater Mekong Region (GMS) that are supported by members of the Mekong Tourism Advisory Group. It offers inspiring, enriching, and authentic experiences that minimize negative impacts, benefit the people of the GMS, and improve the well-being of local communities. The companies shortlisted this year were thoroughly examined with regard to their business practices, their concrete impact on the environment and social climate, their innovative strength and their financial viability.
Every company must meet the following requirements:
“The importance of responsible tourism cannot be underestimated, and the ‘Experience Mekong Collection’ is an excellent way to highlight examples of good practice. Social enterprises have the potential to drive sustainable tourism and establish the Mekong region as an enriching and responsible travel destination. We want to tell their stories to inspire travelers to experience these ‘Stars of the Mekong’ for themselves,” said Jens Thraenhart, Managing Director of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO).
In January 2020, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) presented the Experience Mekong Collection at the FITUR travel trade show in Madrid as a global best-practice example of tourism aligned with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Experience Mekong Collection program is part of our "Mekong Heroes" program, which in turn is part of our mandate for responsible tourism in the Mekong region. To support small, responsible travel businesses during these challenging times and to protect the fragile tourism ecosystem of the Greater Mekong region, the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office, together with Destination Mekong, launched the "Support Experience Mekong Collection Businesses" initiative last year.
In these challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, we fear that many small businesses are struggling to survive and some may even fail. What makes travel in the Greater Mekong region so unique and authentic are these small, local businesses and responsible tour operators. If some of these experiences are lost, it means a part of the Mekong region disappears. “The Experience Mekong Collection not only creates a strong community for these small businesses to weather this difficult period, but also provides a powerful platform to accelerate the recovery process,” said Duangmala Phommavong, Managing Director of Exo Travel Laos and a member of the Mekong Tourism Advisory Group (MeTAG).
By selecting one organization from each country in the Greater Mekong Region (GMS), the MTCO, together with the Mekong Tourism Advisory Group (MeTAG), promotes and selects tourism organizations that demonstrate exemplary practices in sustainability and responsibility. As previously described, each of these organizations is thematically categorized into "Activities," "Shopping," "Accommodation," "Culinary Delights," "Tours," and "Cruises."
This year, the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) is once again inviting the public to vote for their favorite small businesses from the Greater Mekong Region (GMS). From over 350 members of the Experience Mekong Collection, 72 businesses have been shortlisted to determine the Experience Mekong Showcases 2021. Public voting is open until March 31, 2021. The three businesses with the most votes from each country will advance to the final round. There, the Mekong Tourism Advisory Group (MeTAG), the GMS Tourism Working Group (TWG), and the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) will jointly select the six Experience Mekong Showcases 2021 – one from each GMS member country.
“By recognizing the most innovative best-practice companies as Experience Mekong Showcases, we are setting several benchmarks to further improve the travel experience in the Greater Mekong Region. We hope this will motivate other operators to become more involved and contribute to responsible tourism,” said HRH Htay Aung, former Minister of Hotels and Tourism of Myanmar and member of the Mekong Tourism Advisory Group (MeTAG).
The 2018 Experience Mekong Collection showcased projects such as the Phare Cambodian Circus (Cambodia), the Longji Rice Terraces in Guangxi (China), Ock Pop Tok (Laos), Inle Heritage Place (Myanmar), Local Alike (Thailand), and Koto (Vietnam). The 2019 Experience Mekong Collection included Soksabike (Cambodia), the Linden Centre (China), the Elephant Conservation Centre (Laos), Hla Day (Myanmar), Sampran Riverside (Thailand), and Streets International (Vietnam). The 2020 Experience Mekong Collection featured the Elephant Valley Project (Cambodia), the Yangshuo Mountain Retreat (China), the Laos Buffalo Dairy (Laos), the Living Irrawaddy Dolphin Project (Myanmar), Family Tree (Thailand), and La Hoa – Flowers Speak (Vietnam).
All members of the Experience Mekong Collection are featured through Mekong Tourism's channels as well as the Experience Mekong Collection's own Facebook and Instagram accounts. They also receive preferential access to marketing campaigns and have an exclusive online community for networking. Thanks to a partnership with Mahidol University in Thailand, we integrate these innovative best practices into the curriculum to educate future leaders about the importance of responsible tourism. Case studies from the Experience Mekong Showcases are designed to inspire the industry and other businesses.
Members of the Experience Mekong Collection have made the shortlist
About the Mekong Tourism Coordination Office: The Mekong Tourism Coordination Office (MTCO), based in Bangkok, was established with funding from the governments of the six countries of the Greater Mekong Region (GMS) – Cambodia, the People's Republic of China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Funded by annual contributions from each GMS country, the MTCO acts as the secretariat of the GMS Tourism Working Group. This group comprises high-level representatives from the national tourism organizations of the six GMS countries and, in cooperation with the public and private sectors, coordinates and promotes the sustainable tourism development of the GMS and the marketing of the Mekong region as a unified destination. The MTCO operates a digital platform as a central hub for promoting responsible and sustainable tourism in the region and organizes the annual Mekong Tourism Forum, which rotates among the GMS countries.
About Destination Mekong: Destination Mekong was established in 2017 to market the Mekong region – comprising Cambodia, the People's Republic of China (Guangxi and Yunnan provinces), Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam – as a unified tourist destination. Its aim is to stimulate responsible and sustainable development and investment, and to promote inclusive growth. Destination Mekong is supported by the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office and operates within the mandate of the regional cooperation framework for tourism established by the six member governments of the Greater Mekong region. The initiative implements targeted projects and initiatives, including Mekong Moments, the Mekong Mini Movie Festival, Mekong Innovations in Sustainable Tourism (MIST), the Experience Mekong Collection, Mekong Heroes, and Mekong Trends. These projects incorporate feedback from the Mekong Tourism Advisory Group (MeTAG), and investments are made through a public-private partnership led by UNWTO member Chameleon Strategies.
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