Vietnam plays an important role in the new phase of GMS tourism cooperation.

Delegates from six countries: Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, China and Cambodia at the meeting on the morning of November 17. (Photo: Minh Anh/Vietnam+)

From November 17-19 in Ninh Binh, Vietnam chaired the 56th Meeting of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Tourism Working Group and the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) Executive Board Meeting. The meetings aimed to develop and implement the GMS Tourism Marketing Action Plan for the period 2026-2030.

The event attracted the participation of nearly 70 international representatives (in person and online) from national tourism agencies of countries in the sub-region, along with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) - the organization that initiated the idea of GMS sub-regional cooperation in 1992 - and other international partner organizations.

Chairing the first meeting (November 17), Deputy Director of the National Tourism Administration Nguyen Thi Hoa Mai affirmed that the international tourism situation in the world as well as in the Greater Mekong Subregion has recovered strongly in the first half of 2025. However, along with that is the pressure from the geopolitical situation, economic instability, the impact of climate change worldwide, along with increasing operating costs and many other factors.

These factors require countries to adapt flexibly and strengthen community resilience, especially in destinations that rely heavily on tourism. Along with the adoption of the GMS Tourism Strategy 2030, the group is focusing on developing and implementing a practical, data-driven, and collaborative GMS Tourism Marketing Action Plan for 2026-2030.

The plan includes four main action groups: Developing and promoting international tourism routes; Promoting sustainable tourism and responsible experiences; Strengthening the sharing of data, statistics and market information; Enhancing the role of the Mekong Tourism Forum (MTF) in the form of public-private partnership.

Deputy Director of the National Tourism Administration - Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa Mai (center), Director of MTCO - Ms. Suvimol Thanasarakij (left) and representative of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) - Ms. Elizabeth Jung. (Photo: Minh Anh/Vietnam+)

Present at the meeting, representatives of the 6 countries shared many important digital data, which can make important contributions to the common data warehouse. In the following meetings, it is expected that many solutions will continue to be discussed such as: Plan to support GMS tourism cooperation through high-level meetings; GMS marketing action plan; Digital communication and promotion content; Super application (app) on smartphones about GMS tourism; Capacity building program, cooperation with Agoda; Partnership development plan; Policy advocacy mechanisms...

Another important highlight is the commitment to strengthening the role of the private sector in the development and implementation of joint marketing initiatives, particularly in the areas of digital communications, new product development and cross-border tourism promotion.

These results not only contribute to enhancing the connectivity of the sub-region, but also affirm Vietnam's active role in coordinating and promoting GMS tourism cooperation.

Delegates shared data, experiences and observations at the first meeting. (Photo: Minh Anh/Vietnam+)

The representative of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) also said that in addition to Agoda, the group also plans to closely coordinate with the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), Air Asia Move, Extraordinary Travel Festival and the Institute Tourism platform (institutetourism.com)...

Ms. Elizabeth Jung, urban development expert at the Asian Development Bank, also commented that this is an important milestone for the sub-region, demonstrating a shared commitment towards a more sustainable, competitive and inclusive Mekong tourism industry.

She said recent developments in the GMS region further demonstrate that the strategy is timely. Given the potential and risks, the need for sustainable, data-driven destination management and marketing continues to be a pressing issue.

“It is these challenges that the GMS tourism digitalization strategy, action plan and related action plans need to address,” said Ms. Elizabeth Jung./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/viet-nam-dong-vai-tro-quan-trong-trong-hop-tac-du-lich-gms-giai-doan-moi-post1077422.vnp