Representatives from private and public tourism sectors, social and development organisations, and media from the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) gathered in Da Nang on June 15 for a forum to discuss measures to promote sustainable tourism development in the region.

Mekong River flows across Laos (Photo: thousandwonders)

The annual forum aims to introduce trends and tourism development and seek effective ways to strengthen the tourism industry in the GMS, which boasts the most rapid development speed in Asia and Pacific Ocean.

During the five-day event, participants emphasised the importance of boosting connectivity and partnership among travel agencies and tourism sectors in GMS nations to fully tap the potential of the region and turn it into a unique tourist destination.

Steven Schipani, an expert from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Laos said it is necessary to develop tourism in such a way that benefits the community and ensures environmental protection.

Statistics revealed that around 52 million tourists visited the GMS in 2013, up 17% from 2012. Since 2002, the number of foreign arrivals to the region has increased about 12% per year, helping the GMS account for 3% of the global tourism market share.

This year’s forum is discussing topics related to cuisine tourism, discovery tourism, community-based tourism, transnational culture tourism and the use of social media for marketing and luring travellers to the region.

(Source: VNA)