The recently published UNWTO Mekong River-based Tourism Product Development Report, produced in collaboration with ASEAN and VNAT in partnership with MTCO, deliberately aligns with the Mekong Tourism Marketing Strategy 2015-2020, and the ASEAN member countries’ shared objectives to develop river cruising as outlined in the ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan 2011-2015 and ASEAN Tourism Marketing Strategy 2012-2015.
The study focuses on Mekong River-based tourism product development by reviewing the current situation and existing river-based activities, itineraries and river- based tourism products in the Mekong area. Strategically, the report makes several recommendations in areas related to planning, policy, product development, sustainability, public-private partnerships, safety, and security with the main identified objectives being to: protect the natural environment; broaden the concept of river-based tourism beyond high-end luxury cruising and sightseeing activities to include a wider range of land- based cultural or nature based activities; and invest in concepts and tourism products that better merge water and land based activities along rivers in ASEAN.