Mason Florence, Executive Director, Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office
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1) The theme of this year’s Mekong Tourism Forum is “New Roads, New Opportunities”. What is the thinking behind this, and what new opportunities to you hope to create from the event?
“New Roads, New Opportunities” reflects the incredible development of the road networks within the Mekong Region. In recent years the infrastructure has improved dramatically, so many of the lesser-visited areas that have traditionally offered scant tourism infrastructure are now opening up. The increased mobility these new roads bring means more opportunities to get money flowing into the region. And when the benefits of this are spread, visitors get to see more than before. At the same time the proceeds roll over to members of the local communities they pass through. We want tourism operators attending the Forum to open or expand existing tourism activities along these corridors.
2) What are the attendance figures looking like for the Mekong Tourism Forum 2010, and what measures are you taking to boost attendance?
We’re expecting over 200 delegates at the Forum, from around the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) and beyond. Attendees generally work in the tourism industry, and we have representatives from both the public and private sectors, NGOs and the development world, consumers, and the media. This year the host of the MTF, Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism, has generously subsidized the event to make attending very affordable, setting the registration fees at just US$50. Booths at the GMS Mini Travel Expo taking place during the Forum are just US$150.
3) This year’s event is being held in the vicinity of Cambodia’s Angkor Temple complex. How important is the issue of conservation to the Mekong region, and how encouraged are you by the efforts being taken to preserve the region’s natural and man-made treasures?
Conservation is, and must be, a priority. We are committed to fighting the evils of looting, logging, littering and otherwise denigrating both the natural landscape as well as the numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the GMS. With this in mind, we aim to support, encourage and help market sustainable tourism practices until they become standard across the industry. The MTCO’s mission also emphasizes pro-poor tourism, spreading the wealth among local, community-based beneficiaries while working wherever possible to mitigate the negative impacts of tourism. This extends to protecting emerging destinations in order to retain their integrity and cultural heritage, as well as the wider environment. Of course all of this is easier said than done, but we work in the hope that progressive change will steadily take hold in coming years.
4) What are the key challenges the Mekong region faces in developing a coordinated cross-border tourism policy?
It will take a while yet before we see a single region-wide, multiple destination visa. On the other hand promises have been kept in terms of streamlining border crossings and opening more border checkpoints across the GMS. One of the principle challenges comes with the issue of security immigration. The GMS countries, with the exception of China, are all ASEAN countries. They are pledged to a large degree of integration by 2015. So I remain optimistic.
5) Which areas do you believe will become the next major tourism hotspots in the Mekong region, and what is being done to develop these areas?
The next tourism hotspots will be the myriad places that are still largely undiscovered. There are countless ones around the GMS. Cynics might think that every where has been travelled, that there are no Asian Shangri-las left. Not so. Consider the whole south coast of Cambodia, the beaches and islands there. In the Cardamom mountains of Cambodia, Chi Phat is shaping up as a soft adventure destination. In Northern Laos, Vieng Xai, with its ‘war cave city’ is amazing. Join the Mekong Tourism Forum to find out where the other up and coming hot spots could be!
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