“We encourage tourists to spread their spending beyond established locations such as Angkor Wat, the Grand Palace in Bangkok, and Yangon in Myanmar,” said Jens Thraenhart, executive director of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office.
The six Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries -Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the People’s Republic of China, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam - have launched a new marketing plan “to help distribute the benefits of tourism more widely”.
A strategic objective of the plan is to promote secondary destinations and encourage multi-country itineraries, especially those with themes of community-based tourism and river-based tourism, as well as local cuisine, and cultural appreciation.
“We encourage tourists to spread their spending beyond established locations such as Angkor Wat, the Grand Palace in Bangkok, and Yangon in Myanmar,” said Jens Thraenhart, executive director of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office.
Thraenhart said he was optimistic that the marketing plan would help further raise the profile of the GMS as a world-class destination, “with good air, land, and water connectivity, diverse tourism activities, quality tourism services, and convenient tourist visa policies”.
The focus of the plan is around travel experiences and connecting with the local culture of the region.