THE EXPERIENCE MEKONG SHOWCASES
Every year, six members of the Experience Mekong Collection (EMC) are recognized as Experience Mekong Showcases – one of each country and category. In the past four years, we selected the experiences that best showcases sustainable and inclusive travel in the Greater Mekong Subregion and inspires travellers and businesses to get engaged and make an impact on communities.
In partnership with Thailand-based Mahidol University, we feature one innovative business per country in the Experience Mekong Showcase via a case study and raise awareness of best practices to build capacity.
For more information, please visit the URL below to learn more on:
2018 Experience Mekong Showcases press release
2019 Experience Mekong Showcases press release
2020 Experience Mekong Showcases press release
Please see the Experience Mekong Showcases for the past four years:
Cambodia: Sala Baï
The French NGO Agir pour le Cambodge (APLC), created in 1985, launched the Sala Baï program in 2002 to fight poverty and human trafficking in Cambodia through social and professional training of young underprivileged Cambodians. Every year, Sala Baï Hotel and Restaurant School trains 150 students in hospitality at no charge to them. This program is exclusively devoted to helping underprivileged young Cambodians, with priority given to girls (70%) who are more vulnerable and who have less access to education.
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PR China: Lanxu Eco-Culture Development Center
Lanxu Eco-Culture Development Center is committed to the dissemination and preservation of traditional Bai culture. They take great efforts to promote eco-culture activities by working with local communities to advance, develop and innovate ecological and cultural activities of local minorities groups.
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Lao PDR: Nam Et-Phou Louey National Park Wildlife Tours
The Nam Et-Phou Louey National Park (NEPL NP) is the largest protected area in Laos and is famous for its rich wildlife biodiversity supporting a wide range of species, many of which are endangered. The NEPL NP’s wildlife conservation tours are non-profit ventures with the majority of the income directly benefiting the local communities. All earnings are reinvested back into the ecotourism and other National Park’s conservation activities.
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Thailand: Elephant Poopoopaper Park
Elephant POOPOOPAPER Park is an eco-friendly, naturally built, outdoor museum park that introduces and explains the unique steps involved in making our much talked about paper products from elephant poop fibres.
Elephant POOPOOPAPER Park offers a genuinely innovative, entertaining, informative, eco-friendly experience to visitors. A commitment to both the planet and the people are at our core.
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Viet Nam: Mekong Quilts
Mekong Quilts specialises in high quality, hand made quilts and accessories. There are a variety of quilts to choose from featuring different colours and themes, ranging from contemporary to Asian-inspired design. Mekong Quilts also accepts custom orders, ensuring a unique product to suit any home. Our accessories range includes products made of paper mache, water hyacinth and bamboo, all local, sustainable raw materials. International Shipping is available.
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Cambodia: Elephant Valley Project
The Elephant Valley Project is an experience like nothing else; trek into the elephant’s natural jungle habitat and observe these amazing animals being themselves. There is no riding, no tricks, no shows and no stress. Spend hours walking with them learning about their trials, tribulations and amazing stories.
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PR China: The Yangshuo Mountain Retreat
The Yangshuo Mountain Retreat was originally conceived as a simple ecolodge where expat friends could escape from the chaos of polluted mega-cities. We’ve stayed true to the authenticity of our original concept, like making our own beds and offering a simple farm-to-table menu with a few western favourites.
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Lao PDR: Laos Buffalo Dairy
A socially-responsible enterprise consisting of a commercial dairy and production facility to make products such as yoghurt, cheese and ice cream for local and overseas customers. Laos Buffalo Dairy cooperates with people from villages in and around Luang Prabang by renting their buffalo, which provides the families with a regular income stream from an underutilised resource, namely female buffalo; male buffalo being sold for meat.
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Myanmar: Living Irrawaddy Dolphin Project
All of our tour programs include activities that allow visitors to interact and learn from communities about cooperative fishing, dolphins, handicrafts, agriculture and their life along the Ayeyarwady River. The project strives to create positive and beneficial experiences for our hosts, guests and staff while supporting dolphin conservation and reducing negative impacts on the environment during our trips and in our daily operations.
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Thailand: The Family Tree
The Family Tree offers beautiful, handmade, ethically traded goods including 100% natural dyed handwoven silks, handmade silver including stunning ethnic designs, high quality bamboo products, colourful batik and printed bags and purses. The Family Tree prioritizes environmentally friendly products and producers.
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Viet Nam: Là Hoa. Flowers Speak
Lá Hoa . Flowers Speak employs of team of deaf and hearing impaired florists making elegant and natural flower arrangements and bouquets. The classic written greeting card is replaced by a video clip in which our team translate your personal greeting into sign language, this video can be viewed by scanning the accompanying QR code.
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Cambodia: Soksabike
Soksabike is Battambang’s premier bike tour social enterprise offering people all around the world an insight into the traditional livelihoods of the Cambodian countryside in Battambang.
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PR China: The Linden Centre
The Linden Centre is an American-owned, award-winning boutique hotel offering the intrepid traveller a true immersion into authentic China. The Linden Centre’s goal is to serve as rural havens for deeper interaction with the Dali community and structured explorations of China’s past.
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Lao PDR: Elephant Conservation Center
The Elephant Conservation Center offers to experience the power of the majestic elephant. At the Center, a dedicated team of guides, mahouts and elephant vets will take you into the world of Lao elephants. Elephant Conservation Center committed more to substantive work for the preservation of Asian elephants.
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Myanmar: Hla Day
Hla Day is a welcome addition to Yangon’s growing band of social-enterprise shops. It offers quality contemporary and traditional handicrafts sourced from local producers often struggling to overcome disability, exclusion and poverty. Hla Day provides a fair trade marketplace and training for small Myanmar craft producers, opening opportunities to improve their social and economic situation.
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Thailand: Suan Sampran
The Sampran organic farm, located 30 kilometers away from Bangkok, and is still owned by the family Narawach. The former hotel “Rose Garden” was renamed and became the “Suan Sampran”. For the last 6 years, Suan Sampran has been engaging with local farmers of Nakornpatom province promoting organic agriculture through the Sampran Model.
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Viet Nam: STREETS International
STREETS International is an innovative social enterprise initiative with the purpose to develop and operate sustainable programs for street kids and disadvantaged youth in SE Asia and throughout the world. STREETS also prepares vulnerable, orphaned and other disadvantaged young people for careers in hospitality.
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Cambodia: Phare, The Cambodian Circus
Phare, The Cambodian Circus tells uniquely Cambodian tales using modern circus arts and high energy music, touching on themes strong in Cambodian tradition, ethos and spirit. Since its creation, Phare Ponleu Selpak’s priority has been the economic, social and cultural development of its neighbourhood.
PR China: Longji Rice Terraces Scenic Area
The Longji rice terraces are located on the mountainside of Longsheng County, with 105 kilometres north to the Guilin City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to the southern part of the People’s Republic of China. Longji rice terraces have been listed as one of the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) and have been promoted to be the tourism destination back in 1990.
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Lao PDR: Ock Pop Tok
Founded in 2000, Ock Pop Tok was created by two friends – a local weaver and a visiting English photographer. Their vision was to blend their passion for textiles with their desire to be a positive force for change. Ock Pop Tok was founded on principles of fair trade and sustainable business practices and was pioneering social business and ethical fashion before these terms were even a part of our cultural lexicon.
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Myanmar: Inle Heritage
Inle Heritage is a not-for-profit organisation that looks after the cultural and natural heritage of the Inle Region and helps it grow as a great place to live, work and visit. The mission, through heritage work, knowledge sharing and socially responsible business models, is to work with the communities of the Inle Region so that they all benefit from these opportunities and reduce these threats.
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Thailand: Local Alike
LocalAlike.com is an online marketplace where you can find curated travel experiences in local communities across Southeast Asia. Local Alikes are on the mission to enhance the livelihoods at local communities across Thailand and neighbouring countries.
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Viet Nam: KOTO
KOTO’s fundamental mission is to empower at-risk youth to pursue a life of dignity by providing training, life-skills, and opportunity as well as positive permanent change for at-risk and disadvantaged youth through the transformative power of social enterprise.
