A NEW workshop series on tourism marketing will be launched at this year’s Mekong Tourism Forum to empower Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries to better promote secondary destinations and multi-country holidays.
During the inaugural workshop on June 15, adventure travel, food tourism, community-based travel, and river and ocean cruising will be analysed in separate breakout sessions.
In fact, the promotion of adventure travel will take centre stage at the workshop, which was initiated by the Bangkok-based Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) in collaboration with UNWTO and PATA.
In 2013, the segment was estimated to be worth US$263 billion globally, an increase of 195 per cent since 2011, according to the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA).
“It’s a rapidly growing segment that speaks to the trends of authenticity and meaningful experiences,” said Shannon Stowell, president and CEO of ATTA, who described the sector as “high value, low impact” when done right.
Food tourism as a prime reason to travel will also be part of the workshop.
“Given that the GMS has such a rich diversity of food produce and culinary preparation styles, it makes sense to consider how this interest can be best leveraged to attract visitors to both the rural and urban centres of the GMS,” said John Koldowski, professor at the College of Innovation at Bangkok’s Thammasat University.
Meanwhile, UNWTO will host the session on river and ocean cruise tourism based on two UNWTO publications: ASEAN River-based Tourism Development and Sustainable Cruise Tourism Development Strategies: Tackling the Challenges in Itinerary Design in South-east Asia.
“We want to position the GMS as a single tourist destination in a very competitive global tourism landscape,” said Jens Thraenhart, executive director of MTCO.
He added that the workshop should become an ongoing activity, adaptable to changing consumer demands, while developed in consultation with the region’s tourism industry.
This year’s Mekong Tourism Forum takes place at Hotel Novotel Danang Premier Han River from June 15 to 19.
All senior travel industry members from public and private sectors are invited to attend the workshop for free. Attendance to the forum is free to travel industry stakeholders who register online.
