Mekong nations seek to boost tourism

Tourism ministers from Thailand, Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam expect tourist arrivals in the Greater Mekong Subregion to double to more than 50 million a year by 2015.

Tourism Ministers from the Mekong subregion met in Bangkok on Monday. Senior officials approved detailed marketing and development plans to encourage visitors to stay longer in the nations along the Mekong- Lancang river.

Du Jiang, deputy director of China's National Tourism Admin., said, "In 1995, there were less than 10 million tourist arrivals in the region. That rose to more than 24 million last year. We have reached a consensus on a strategy ."

International visitors to the Greater Mekong Subregion currently stay for an average of 7 days, and 70 percent only visit a single country. Tourists who visit more than one country, however, spend an average of three weeks in the region.

The new tourism development plan hopes to address impediments to cross-border tourism by improving facilities, and by making visas easier to get.

The six Mekong nations ultimately aim to have a common visa.

The marketing plan identifies three core products that surveys indicate will attract key segments of the tourist market: ecotourism, culture and heritage, and adventure tours.

The plans should improve the quality of services in these areas by upgrading the skills of tourism managers, public officials and hospitality industry workers.

The plans also include measures to prevent exploitative practices and negative environmental impacts of tourism.