Cambodia introduces QR code scanning for venues to combat COVID-19

The  Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPTC) has set up a QR Code “Stop Covid” in an attempt to provide additional measures to increase the efficiency and speed of prevention and control of the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The Ministry of Health announced Saturday on the implementation of the QR Code and this moves comes as a direct response to the current February 20 Community Incident, which as of Saturday 9pm has seen 32 foreign nations being tested positive for COVID-19.

It said that the public need to scan the QR Code when traveling in and out of hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, entertainment venues, condominiums, companies, factories, and other enterprises which have a lot of foot traffic.

“This system will record the location of the person logged who had scanned the QR Code (a system that does not track or affect the privacy of the individual) and make it easier to find those involved or affected if that location is found to have COVID infected guests or patrons.”

The Intergovernmental Commission on the Prevention of COVID-19 also advised business owners, restaurant owners and the above-mentioned owners of crowded places to use the QR Code “Stop Covid-19”.

To get the QR Code to use, please go to stopcovid.gov.kh and click on “Request QR Code” . Then fill in the information and click on “Request QR Code” and click on “Download” to get a QR Code to print and paste in front of the business entry-exit points. Using this system is free of charge.

The Intergovernmental Commission for the Prevention of COVID-19 also called on the public to use the system to prevent the spread of the outbreak.

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Yindii introduces eco-friendly food app

Yindii, a Thai anti-food waste startup, has launched a mobile application designed to match Bangkok residents with environmentally conscious restaurants, grocery stores and cafes to combat food waste.

The app is designed to be a direct-to-consumer platform for restaurants and cafes that can create exclusive and immediate “Happy Hour Deals” offers regularly, with discounts of up to 50-70% on food that would otherwise go to waste.

Once a Yindii box offer is published, users can purchase it before heading to the restaurant to collect, or get the box delivered. They will not know the contents of the box until after the purchase.

“A full 33% of all food produced globally is wasted or lost every year. That is close to a billion-and-a-half tonnes that is never consumed, accounting for 8% of the greenhouse gas emissions around the globe, four times more pollution than the airline industry. All this is an ecological disaster,” said Yindii founder Louis-Alban Batard-Dupre. “The growing problem of food waste is challenging to solve for endless reasons including logistics, the complexities of short-lived items and the lack of a set market, which is what we are working to help solve. We hope our simple system connects users and restaurants.”

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Nominations for 2021 Mekong Hero open

Former Ministers of Tourism from Thailand and Myanmar to co-chair Selection Committee

Bangkok, February 8, 2021:  The  ‘Mekong Heroes’ program (www.MekongHeroes.com), which was launched in 2020, initiated by the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) and Destination Mekong, to celebrate passionate individuals in Mekong tourism who work tirelessly behind the scenes to “inspire and influence the direction of our industry, modeling new ways of conceiving and doing tourism better.”  These leaders that have made a significant contribution to developing tourism sustainability in the Mekong Region. These individual might be CEOs or senior government officials, or they might be entrepreneurs or small business owners. What these people have in common is their vision, commitment, dedication, and passion.  Being nominated to be a Mekong Hero is a tremendous honor, and all our Mekong Heroes join the Mekong Heroes Gallery, to inspire others to walk in their footsteps.

Nominations are now open for the 2021 Mekong Hero at: www.MekongHeroes.com and the next Mekong Hero will be announced at the 2nd Virtual Destination Mekong Summit in May 2021. 

According to Jens Thraenhart, Executive Director of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO): “Achieving a prosperous and sustainable tourism industry is not possible without committed leaders, with special kinds of vision and determination. The Mekong Heroes program is important so the whole industry benefits from their authenticity of vision, purpose, commitment, and determination; maintained over years of hard work. Recognized not only as builders, creators, and innovators, but also as mentors, teachers, and motivators, these individuals have made it their mission to bring out the best in people.”

The first Mekong Hero was announced during the 1st Virtual Destination Mekong Summit on August 25th.  Selected among dozens of nominations, Ms. Potjana Suansri has been selected as the first Mekong Hero. Ms. Potjana Suansri is the founder of the Thailand Community-Based Tourism Institute (CBT-I), and currently is serving as cultural tourism capacity building expert for the UN International Trade Center (ITC) Myanmar Inclusive Tourism project.  Her interview can be watched at the Mekong Heroes Gallery at: https://www.destinationmekong.com/initiatives/mekong-heroes/ms-potjana-suansri/

 

About the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office:

The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO), located in Bangkok, was set up with funding from the governments of the six Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) countries – Cambodia, the People’s Republic of China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The MTCO, which operates on annual financial contributions from each GMS country, acts as the secretariat for the GMS Tourism Working Group, comprising of senior officials of the six GMS countries’ National Tourism Organizations, to coordinate and facilitate sustainable tourism development of the GMS, and promotion of the Mekong region as a single travel and tourism destination, in collaboration with the public and private sectors. The MTCO manages its award-winning MekongTourism.org digital platform as a one-stop platform to promote responsible and sustainable tourism in the region, as well as the annual Mekong Tourism Forum, whose hosting is rotated among GMS countries.

Please visit www.MekongTourism.org for more information.

 

About Destination Mekong:

Destination Mekong was created in 2017 to promote the Lancang-Mekong region, comprising of Cambodia, PR China (Provinces of Guangxi and Yunnan), Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam as a single tourism destination to stimulate responsible and sustainable development and investment, and drive inclusive growth. Endorsed by the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office and aligned with the mandate of the regional collaborative tourism framework of the six-member governments of the Greater Mekong Sub-region, Destination Mekong executes targeted projects and initiatives, including Mekong Moments, Mekong Memories, Mekong Deals, Mekong Mini Movie Festival, Mekong Innovative Start-ups in Tourism (MIST), Experience Mekong Collection, Mekong Heroes, and Mekong Trends, with feedback from the Mekong Tourism Advisory Group (MeTAG) and via public-private partnership investment structure, led by UNWTO Affiliate Member Chameleon Strategies.

More information at: www.DestinationMekong.com

The MIST program evolves from “Mekong Innovative Startups in Tourism” to “Mekong Innovations in Sustainable Tourism”.

MIST program aims to expedite tourism industry growth, create an ecosystem that inspires innovation, and promote sustainability in tourism

Bangkok December 20, 2020:  The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) (www.MekongTourism.org) as the secretariat of the Tourism Working Group of the six national tourism organizations of the Greater Mekong Subregion, and Destination Mekong (www.DestinationMekong.com), the public-private collaboration framework of the Lancang-Mekong Region, in consultation with the six member governments of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) and its partner the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has decided to evolve the 4-year old trail-blazing initiative. Originally limited to only startups in the two categories of travel tech and travel social enterprises, the evolved MIST program will focus on innovations in sustainable tourism, resilience, and climate change in the Greater Mekong Subregion, aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Nominations are open to any business entity, from startups to established corporates, from NGOs to governments, and from individuals to partnerships, coming from the six member countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion, as well as from all over the world if the initiative can be applied to driving sustainability and resilience in the Mekong Region.

For this new chapter of MIST, the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office has decided to bring onboard the Swiss-based Ecosystem builder Seedstars. According to Jens Thraenhart, Executive Director of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office, and Chair of Destination Mekong: “This is an important and significant step forward to continue to innovate our initiatives to stay relevant to the changing needs of the tourism industry, during and post the current COVID-19 pandemic. Keeping our powerful MIST brand, the focus will be on innovative and creative projects and concepts driving sustainability and resilience to recover travel and tourism in the Greater Mekong Subregion.”

In the first quarter of 2021, MIST will invite nominations from startups, established companies, government organizations, NGOs, academia, media, as well as individuals, students, and partnerships. For an entry to be accepted it needs to be an operating initiative or project that drives sustainable tourism and resilience. The MIST jury, made up of members of the Mekong Tourism Advisory Group (MeTAG – https://www.destinationmekong.com/mekong-tourism-advisory-group/) and Seedstars, will judge the final pitches during a hybrid MIST Forum planned for the second half of 2021 in Bangkok.  Nominations are being accepted starting February 1, 202 until April 31, 2021 at www.MIST.asia (https://mist.asia/nomination-2/), and existing MIST nominations are being considered based on the new criteria.  The MIST program celebrates creative ideas and innovation, featuring qualified initiatives on the Mekong Innovations Showcase (https://www.destinationmekong.com/projects/mekong-coronavirus-innovations/), encouraging partnerships and investments.  

Now in its 4th year, the MIST program has been one of the first tourism board globally pioneering its own travel startup program, integrating innovation and entrepreneurship with the travel and tourism ecosystem. Destination Mekong and the Mekong Business Initiative – with the backing of the Government of Australia, the Asian Development Bank, and the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office – launched MIST in 2016 to propel innovation in the rapidly growing tourism markets of the Greater Mekong Subregion. MIST aims to expedite tourism industry growth, create an ecosystem that inspires innovation, and promote sustainability in tourism.  The MIST program is guided by an international advisory board made up of travel executives and investors in the travel and tourism industry.

In 2017 and 2018, the final pitching competitions were integrated into the Mekong Tourism Forums in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR and Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, respectively.  In 2019, Destination Mekong partnered with the Travel Startups Asia Forum in Bangkok, to host the final MIST pitching competition, and inspired delegates with panels and keynotes including from former Minister of Sports and Tourism if Thailand, HE Mr Weerasak Kowsurat and Nok Air Founder Mr. Patee Sarasin. The successful MIST Mentorships Bootcamp was hosted at the offices of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in Bangkok, conducting workshops by investors, travel executives, and MIST alumni for MIST 2019 finalists. Winners of the travel technology category were invited to present at the MIST Forum at ITB Asia in Singapore.

MIST 2019 Group Photo at Travel Startup Asia Forum in Bangkok, October 9th, 201