As ASEAN pursues greater regional integration and the development
of a single economic community, advancements in the region’s
aviation industry are essential to boost economic connectivity and
tourism. Half the world’s population live within five hours of ASEAN,
making it a natural transportation hub for visiting the region’s sunny
beaches, accessing growing economic opportunities.
UNWTO and Netflix have partnered on the publication of a report which looks at the role of film and series as drivers for tourism and cultural affinity.
The Global Report on Cultural Affinity and Screen Tourism explores the growing affection one has towards a particular country or culture displayed on the screen.
The findings of the research were presented in Madrid at the Iberseries Platino Industria, the largest international event for professionals linked to the audiovisual industry in Spanish and Portuguese.
The report’s ultimate goal is to support policymakers and key stakeholders within the tourism sector to implement policies that make their destinations attractive for audio-visual producers.
It also aims to help in the building of strategies to promote tourism and consumption of local culture, investing in skills and training to develop the local film and creative sectors, as well as integrating tourism and showcasing culture at film festivals to deepen the global audiences’ knowledge.
UNWTO secretary general Zurab Pololikashvili said: “Both tourism and the audiovisual sectors celebrate and promote culture, support jobs and provide opportunities in diverse locations. The joint work of UNWTO and Netflix will help destinations realise the potential benefits of screen tourism.”
Dean Garfield, vice-president, public policy, Netflix, added: “As highlighted in this research, we have been able to demonstrate conclusively what we instinctively already believed, which is that alongside the desire to travel and visit destinations, exposure to screen content also leads to greater interest in heritage, culture, language, and developing interpersonal relationships.
“This truly demonstrates that the creative industries, cultural exchange, storytelling, and tourism are all interlinked and can transform the way communities perceive and connect with each other.”
Following the presentation of the Global Report, experts on tourism and the audio-visual industry shared their knowledge and insights into changing trends in screen tourism and its positive impacts on strengthening cultural affinity, as well as the role of online streaming services in promoting tourism and cultural affinity between people, cultures and countries in line with the 2030 Agenda.
Read the full article at TTG Asia: https://www.ttgasia.com/2021/10/05/unwto-and-netflix-partner-on-screen-tourism-push/
Bill Bensley is world renown for his outstanding, unique and inspiring award-wining hotel, landscape and interior designs and eye-catching architecture. What is not so widely known, but comes as no surprise to those that know him, is that he is a concerned conservationist and passionate philanthropist and an eco-warrior. In his own words Bill shares, “my main purpose in life, besides having as much fun as possible, is to help the needy, to education, help animals and help the planet via conservation”.
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Bangkok & Fiji, 10th October 2021
The Pacific Tourism Organization (SPTO) and Destination Mekong have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to foster a collaborative partnership that will benefit both organizations and their stakeholders.
With their extensive membership of the greater Mekong sub- region (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam, as well as Southwestern Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Guanxi) and 20 Pacific Island countries (PICs), spanning all four sub-regions, SPTO and Destination Mekong represent world-class tourism destinations that will benefit from information sharing and best- practice experiences under the MoU.
A key objective of the partnership is to accelerate sustainable and inclusive tourism growth post- pandemic, so as to ensure that tourism’s benefits are equitably distributed to all stakeholders whilst also enhancing sustainable tourism development practices in the destinations.
Speaking at the MoU announcement at the virtual Mekong World Tourism Day Forum, Destination Mekong founder and outgoing Executive Director of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office, Mr. Jens Thraenhart, noted the importance of innovative collaboration during this time.
“The MoU with SPTO signals an important step in a partnership agreement between two major regional tourism organizations, in a time when collaboration and sharing of knowledge is more important than ever, to practically assist our business communities prepare for a balanced tourism eco-system”, he said.
Similarly, SPTO Chief Executive, Mr. Christopher Cocker, emphasized the importance of building partnerships to effectively address common challenges.
“We are very excited to work with Destination Mekong to bring together our resources and experiences for the benefit of our respective member countries. We recognize that some Destination Mekong members are well established tourism destinations and will have valuable lessons to share with SPTO and our members”.
“Moreover, with diverse stakeholders and rapidly changing trends threats regional tourism is becoming more and more complex. Therefore, collaboration with like- minded partners is critical for regional tourism organisations, particularly against the backdrop of the pandemic. Innovation and collaboration will drive tourism’s recovery and ensure resilience in the long run”, said Mr. Cocker.
SPTO and Destination Mekong intend to host a virtual mini tourism forum towards the end of 2021, with details to be announced in due course.
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About:
SPTO:
Established in 1983 as the Tourism Council of the South Pacific, the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) is the mandated organisation representing Tourism in the region. Its 21 Government members are American Samoa, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Rapa Nui, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu Wallis & Futuna and the People’s Republic of China. In addition to government members, the Pacific Tourism Organisation also enlists a private sector membership base. SPTO’s mission is to ensure sustainable tourism development through innovative partnerships. The vision of the organisation is, “Our Pacific Islands’ empowered and benefitting from sustainable tourism”.
*Queries may be directed to twaqavonovono@spto.org
Destination Mekong (DM) is the regional destination marketing organization and is owned and funded by the private sector of the travel and tourism industry in the six countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion. DM initiates, develops, and operates various programs and initiatives aligned to the strategic framework of the regional Mekong Tourism collaboration, published by the six-member tourism ministries via its secretariat, the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office.
*Queries may be directed to info@destinationmekong.com
Cardamom Tented Camp ecolodge in Cambodia has been announced by Green Destinations as one of the 2021 Top 100 Destination Sustainability Stories in the world.
The announcement was made 5 October in the online annual conference of Green Destinations, a non-profit organisation for sustainable tourism, based in The Netherlands. The annual programme has been in existence since 2014.
Cardamom Tented Camp was chosen by the judges among 28 tourism experiences around the world in the Nature and Ecotourism category. The other 72 winners were in the categories of Localisation and Decarbonising the Local Supply Chain; Communities and Culture; Environment and Climate; and Tourism Reset and Recovery.
“Since Cardamom Tented Camp opened in 2017 we’ve helped protect 18,000 hectares of forest by channelling income from the camp to support 12 forest rangers who have done a terrific job of reducing illegal logging, wildlife hunting and sandbank dredging,” said Willem Niemeijer, CEO of YAANA Ventures, the camp operator.
“Right from day one our slogan has been, ‘Your Stay Keeps the Forest Standing’. The Green Destination judges saw those details of our work. They recognised that our sustainability story as a world-class and inspirational conservation tourism project could be emulated in other places,” he said.
In an earlier Q&A session for the online conference on 5 October, Niemeijer told Green Destination online conference attendees that Cardamom Tented Camp was based on three principles: a belief in visitor dispersion to off-the-beaten-track places away from over-touristed hubs; a commitment to work with experts, such as NGO Wildlife Alliance; and a full-hearted belief in the triple bottom line of people, planet and profit, which had to be unwavering if the project was going to be truly sustainable, said Niemeijer.
In an official statement announcing the Top 100, Green Destinations said: “With the tourism sector facing very challenging times in the past year or so, the resilience and hard work of these destinations to become more responsible should be celebrated. The 2021 selection was determined by the quality, transferability, and, more than ever, by the level of innovation of the stories.”
Albert Salman, the President of Green Destinations told the audience that the objective of the top 100 sustainability stories programme was to “inspire responsible tourism leadership around the world”.
The full Green Destinations’ list of Top 100 Sustainability Stories for 2021 can be viewed here.
Further information on Cardamom Tented Camp, including its back story, its other awards and guest experiences, is available here.
Bill Bensley is world renown for his outstanding, unique and inspiring award-wining hotel, landscape and interior designs and eye-catching architecture. What is not so widely known, but comes as no surprise to those that know him, is that he is a concerned conservationist and passionate philanthropist and an eco-warrior. In his own words Bill shares, “my main purpose in life, besides having as much fun as possible, is to help the needy, to education, help animals and help the planet via conservation”.
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The Mekong World Tourism Forum, part of the two-event series of the Destination Mekong Summit, held virtually on October 21-22, will feature inspiring keynote speakers, Bangkok-based award-winning hotel designer Mr. Bill Bensley in conversation with outgoing Executivve Director of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office, Mr Jens Thraenhart, and social impact innovator Mr. Jimmy Pham, founder of Hanoi based social enterprise and Experience Mekong Showcase recipient, KOTO (Know One – Teach One).
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