Tourism Working Group (TWG)
Primary Agency: Ministry of Tourism and Sports (Department of Tourism)
Background and Principles
The tourism sector of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) program aims to develop and promote the region as a single destination through the offering of diverse, high-quality, and high-value tourism products. This initiative seeks to distribute income across various areas, alleviate poverty, create jobs, and promote sustainable development, with an emphasis on investing in tourism infrastructure, human resource development, and community-based tourism.
Under the GMS 2030 Strategic Framework, the tourism sector focuses on industry recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic by providing financial and fiscal support and enhancing entrepreneurial skills. It also promotes high-value tourism, the development of secondary cities, human capital enhancement, connectivity infrastructure development, public-private partnerships, and environmental sustainability.
Recent Progress
Progress has been made in recovering and upgrading the subregion’s tourism sector, with overall tourism showing a strong recovery trend nearing pre-COVID-19 levels. This is being driven in alignment with the approved GMS Tourism Strategy 2030. The working group focuses on sustainable tourism development, leveraging infrastructure and digital technology to enhance tourism experiences, and promoting the role of local governments in developing tourist attractions. Furthermore, it encourages private sector participation in investment and human resource development, while supporting the operations of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) and the transition toward establishing a GMS Tourism Office to strengthen long-term tourism cooperation mechanisms.
