Eliana Willis

The official website of Mekong Tourism has been re-imagined with a range of dynamic new digital elements for a variety of visitors – from consumer travellers to academics and researchers, from journalists to sustainable tourism advocates.Managed by the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO), the new-look mekongtourism.org aims to position itself as a major online start point and research asset for travel and tourism in Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
The new website is easy to navigate and offers quicker search than previously. The site has been designed for mobile responsiveness and compatibility. It has been created to work well on desktop, tablet and mobile phone.
If you are a traveller, for example, there are specialist sections on festivals in the six countries, farm and community tourism, markets, caves, palaces, motorbike travel, ethical tourism, and more.“The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office has revamped the official Mekong Tourism website, MekongTourism.org, to help the whole region bounce back after three difficult years,” said Ms Suvimol Thanasarakij, Executive Director of the MTCO . “We are proud to present a new website that focuses on responsible, sustainable and inclusive tourism that gives back.”

There are Q&A interviews with leading private, public and third-sector tourism leaders. They all give their take on what the new era of tourism in the Mekong region should look like following the massive Covid-era slow down.ADVERTISEMENTFor students, researchers and academics, there is also a library of the latest tourism-related research papers by UNWTO, ADB, WTTC and various corporate organisations.
There are also dedicated pages to the Mekong Tourism Forum which takes place 25-27 April in Sihanoukville in Cambodia and is open to leading stakeholders in Mekong Tourism.
Visit MekongTourism.org to start your journey around the Mekong region.

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Climate protection and human rights are closely linked. In the Studiosus interview at ITB Berlin 2023 experts outlined their various perspectives and positions.
Studiosus managing director Peter-Mario Kubsch: “The industry has begun to shift, but it is all going too slowly.“ Michael Windfuhr of the German Institute for Human Rights added: “Bold steps are needed that must be taken now. In ten years time it will be too late.” Luís von Randow, Fridays for Future spokesman: “In the end, only travelling less will help.“
Michael Windfuhr of the German Institute for Human Rights: “Climate change will become the biggest and most important cause of human rights violations.“ Whether droughts or flooding: the right to a home, employment, a healthy existence and water supplies was affected everywhere. As such, climate protection could not be viewed separately from human rights. Moreover, climate policy measures could also impact human rights if for example wind farms were installed on indigenous peoples’ lands.
Harald Zeiss of the Institute for Sustainable Tourism Inatour: “Climate protection is a very complex topic and added to that tourism is a very complex industry. Many people wonder where to begin.” The danger was to carry on as before, with devastating effects. The Germans were climate offenders who were worried about the climate: “We need to take a new look at mobility and our leisure activities.”
Luís von Randow, Fridays for Future spokesman: “Climate protection must be viewed as a socially binding obligation. What is needed are socially fair concepts to ensure that ultimately not only the rich can afford to travel.” Taxing kerosene was absolutely necessary, coupled with a social compensation scheme.ADVERTISEMENTStudiosus managing director Peter-Mario Kubsch: “Human rights should be the principle underpinning all efforts. We cannot talk about climate protection on its own without making tackling poverty and peace efforts a part of the argument.” Tourism had an issue with climate protection because mobility was the biggest source of emissions, but without mobility there could be no tourism. As an interim solution until the arrival of climate-neutral aviation only offsetting could help. “We now offset all trips by investing in biogas climate protection projects. That is included in the price and our customers pay it. The days of a voluntary contribution are over.”

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CLIMATE EMERGENCY: HOW DO DESTINATIONS BECOME MORE RESISTANT?

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Crises caused by climate change are becoming more frequent, with a direct and severe impact on destinations. Are there ways that could help to make destination areas more resistant? What conceivable strategies are there to create a greater sense of responsibility towards the climate? These questions were examined by a panel of experts at ITB Berlin 2023. They concluded that more cooperation and a willingness to listen to one another provide a basis for finding solutions. “We have to know our capabilities in order to be able to act effectively“, according to Shannon Stowell, chair of the Adventure Travel Trade Association.
Shannon Stowell, Adventure Travel Trade Association: “Many people in the travel industry have finally begun to adopt measures. Everyone must now answer the question of what they are doing to make the world a better place.“ Travel must be developed on the basis of what the destination needs. “Thanks to our worldwide networks we are able to react rapidly to crises“, Stowell stated. “We must work together and utilise the knowledge of everyone involved. Once we know our capabilities we also know what strengths we can apply.“
Lars Peter Nissen, director of the humanitarian group ACAPS: In many destinations the largest part of the critical infrastructure is intended to meet the needs of tourism, Nissen explained: ”These are the people who have trucks, generators and everything else need to keep things running.“ The knowledge and capabilities of these people must be incorporated in every strategy.
Gopinath Parayil, chair of The Blue Yonder: “Given the effects of the climate crisis in the destinations the tourism industry’s networks, with all their available expertise, can and must be a relevant part of the solution. If there are no more destinations then there will be no more tourism. We need a platform where we can come together and combine our strengths.“ Travel companies have access to accommodation, foodstuffs and drinks, as well as to highly qualified personnel that can be deployed very quickly. These are all things that the humanitarian sector needs during a crisis, and are lying idle in the tourism industry.
Dr. Sreeja K.G., director of EQUINOCT Community Sourced Modelling Solutions LLP: “The main concern is for the basis of existence of local people. Various sectors must work together to protect them, and not just the tourism sector on its own. Properly functioning communications are the most important thing. There is not just one approach that works for everyone. We have to listen to local people, all sit around a table and contribute all our capabilities. What is needed is shared responsibility.“ADVERTISEMENTSamuel Karani, general manager for East Africa at Intrepid Travel: “Environmental protection can help to improve tourism.“ In this respect it is important to work together with local communities because, after all, it is their basis for life that is at stake.

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Responsible tourism must place a greater emphasis on the social components and move away from a purely economic orientation. This was one of the lessons from the latest crises, according to Professor Dr. Harald Pechlaner, professor of tourism at the Catholic University Eichstätt and head of the Centre for Entrepreneurship, in his lecture at the ITB Convention on Thursday at the trade fair. As he pointed out, even if at first glance it seems that tourism has returned at full strength after the pandemic, the industry is now learning that not everything is allowed or accepted as it was before.
As Pechlaner explained, the pandemic has also shown that travel is indispensable for creating a feeling of freedom. One new feature, however, is that many destinations are not just banking on expansion but are, in some cases, declaring “tourism saturation” and do not want to see any further increase in tourist numbers. For travellers and for most destinations the message should be that tourism should bring “not only an added economic value but also new values for their money“. There must be a change in the industry, which should develop a conscience about destinations, instead of simply occupying space and leaving others to deal with the consequences.
During the panel discussions under the heading of “Is Destination Thinking Still State Of The Art?“ Pechlaner was praised by Dr. Heike Döll-König, chief executive of Tourism NRW. She was critical of the fact that no one had previously spoken about tourism in a cross-sectoral sense: “We should not be selling tourism as a product but should also regard all stakeholders as ’customers‘, and cooperate with them“, she stated.
This model has already been implemented in Malaga, described by the director of the local tourism authority, Jonathan Gómez Punzón, as ”the Silicon Valley of Spain“. Tourist data is recorded in a fully digitalised form, which not only logs and analyses the routes taken by visitors but also their emotions This also enables the entire infrastructure to be optimised for the benefit of the local inhabitants.
On Vancouver Island in Canada the entire tourism authority has been converted into a “social enterprise“, to ensure that sustainability and social responsibility are at the forefront of all initiatives. “Tourism revenues are to be invested in important social projects, guided by globally recognised programmes and principles“, explained Anthony Everett, president of the new company ”4VI“ (For Vancouver Island). “Don’t be afraid of altering the status quo“, he told his audience, and Pechlaner added: The aim is to create a feeling of belonging between travellers and those they visit, and possibilities for digital and social interaction are available. They just have to be used.ADVERTISEMENT

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