A joint declaration on GMS cooperation in tourism and its orientations for future development was approved by the ministers at their second meeting on January 9 within the framework of the ASEAN Tourism Forum being held in Hanoi.

The declaration affirms that the GMS tourism sector has continued to grow and has stood firm despite the global financial meltdown. The Mekong Tourism Coordination Office (MTCO) has successfully held three seminars to focus on priority projects and worked out specific proposals for a meeting of development partners in 2009.

The GMS tourism ministers acknowledged the efforts of the MTCO director in promoting tourism marketing and implementation of the Tourism Strategy in the subregion and highlighted the financial and technical support provided by the French Government and the Asia Development Bank (ADB) in this connection. They also praised Thailand’s initiative on the 2009-2010 Mekong Tourism Year.

The six GMS countries, including Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, will build on their improved infrastructure and interlinks and expand beneficial partnerships, the declaration says.

The GMS countries’ representatives also expressed their gratitude to the Vietnamese Government for its warm reception and efforts to organize the meeting.

The Greater Mekong Subregion is expected to welcome 53 million international tourists with longer stays and higher expenditure through 2015, offering jobs for more than 4.2 million local people.

Source: VOV