Officially unveiled at the Mekong Tourism Forum (MTF) 2025, the final draft of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Tourism Strategy 2030 is now being readied for publishing and will be available for download at www.mekongtourism.org by mid July.
The GMS comprises Cambodia, China’s Yunnan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. In 2024 these countries welcomed over 69 million international arrivals, signalling a strong recovery toward pre-pandemic levels. Intra-GMS travel accounted for around 9.5 million trips in 2023.
The GMS Tourism Strategy 2030 was jointly developed by the GMS Tourism Working Group and the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO), with support from the GMS Economic Cooperation Program.
MTCO executive director Suvimol Thanasarakij said the strategy would drive high-quality sustainable tourism development, promote regional cooperation, and accelerate the development of secondary destinations across the GMS. Strategic programs would focus on building sustainable destinations, developing human capital, strengthening engagement and enhancing regional destination marketing.
In development since late 2023, the GMS Tourism Strategy 2030 will guide regional tourism cooperation over the next five years. It follows on from the GMS Tourism Sector Strategy (2016-2025).
“The new 2030 strategy builds on the strong foundation laid by previous strategies, but updates it to better reflect today’s realities - like climate challenges, the digital shift, and the need for more inclusive and resilient growth,” said Suvimol.
“The 2030 strategy places more emphasis on developing secondary destinations and improving connectivity, so that tourism benefits aren’t just concentrated in the big cities. It integrates climate action and digital transformation much more deeply. There’s a strong focus on making tourism more inclusive - supporting women, youth, and groups that have traditionally been left out.”
“In this strategy, we’re also making regional marketing - including the promotion of multi-country travel experiences - one of our key strategic directions. And importantly, this strategy calls for stronger public-private partnerships and better coordination across stakeholders at all levels, from the top to the local on-the-ground players.”
The GMS Tourism Strategy 2030 draws from extensive consultations with stakeholders in tourism and related sectors. From the start in 2023 the MTCO talked closely with the GMS member countries, and in 2024 consultations were expanded to tour operators, tourism associations, NGOs, academia, media, international organizations and development partners.
“A lot of common themes came up, like the urgent need to strengthen digital and marketing skills, better infrastructure, concerns about sustainability and overtourism, and a big one - how to get the private sector more involved. Workforce challenges and the need for upskilling and reskilling were also raised, especially in light of post-COVID recovery,” noted Suvimol.
MTF 2025 was hosted by Laos in the UNESCO World Heritage City of Luang Prabang, from 25-27 June 2025 under the theme of “United Journey - Stronger Together”. Held at Pullman Luang Prabang, the forum drew 230 delegates from 92 organizations across 20 countries, including government agencies, tourism businesses, development partners, civil society and the media.
The event’s theme highlighted the importance of cross-border collaboration in tourism planning and development, and the power of partnership, in shaping the region’s tourism future.
“It was energizing to see the GMS tourism community come together not only to celebrate our progress, but to work hand-in-hand in the fields - literally - to shape a more sustainable and inclusive future for travel in the Mekong,” said Suvimol.
Literally, because a special feature of the forum saw sessions happen ‘on the ground’ - in a setting relevant to the theme of each. An ecotourism discussion was held by the river in an eco-resort setting, while an agrotourism panel took place in a rice field.
MTF 2025 also featured the first-ever GMS tourism private sector workshop, which brought together representatives from GMS travel and tour guide associations to exchange insights, discuss challenges and enhance regional collaboration.
