Catherine Germier-Hamel

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Catherine Germier-Hamel

Chief Executive Officer

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What excites you about the Mekong Region?

I first traveled to the Mekong region through the many stories shared by my parents about their childhood, and the delicious food prepared by my mother and my grandmothers. It took me a while to finally make the trip. I was in my early thirties when I visited the region for the first time, starting with Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. I immediately felt a sense of familiarity and belonging and became passionate about the beauty and diversity of all the places I discovered throughout the years. Most importantly, I have truly valued the hospitality, generosity, and spirituality of the people I had a chance to meet. In so many ways, they helped me reconfirm my life purpose.
Tell us about your Background

I was born, raised, and educated in France, with half of my roots grounded in the Mekong region: my parents are both Eurasians from Indochina, like my grandparents. I wanted to explore the world and make it a better place for all from a young age. For over 25 years, I have built an international career dedicated to global and local development, including nine years in the field of environmental utilities. In 2005, I relocated to Korea with my husband, and since then, I have gained experience in sustainable tourism development and marketing, as director of global programs and consultant, then impact entrepreneur.
How do you want to make an impact for the region?

I believe the Mekong region has the potential to stand as a model of inclusive and harmonious growth through sustainable tourism development. I am strongly determined to actively support all efforts to promote it as an attractive, resilient, and vibrant travel destination, based on innovative business models and solutions. The tourism and hospitality industry can and should provide job and income opportunities to the locals while making sure no one is left behind. It is also essential that it empowers them so that they can lead their life proudly and independently. Together, let’s rebuild the Mekong region as a safe haven for all.

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Destination Mekong takes the next step towards boosting tourism recovery in the Mekong region

16 November 2021, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Destination Mekong is strengthening its executive capacities towards playing a leading role in the post-COVID tourism recovery in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS).

As the global tourism industry is slowly getting back on track, Destination Mekong (DM) is taking a new step as the regional tourism organization dedicated to championing the Lancang-Mekong region, comprising of Cambodia, PR China (Provinces of Guangxi and Yunnan), Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam, as a sustainable and inclusive tourism destination.
Destination Mekong officially introduced its new Executive Team at the beginning of the 2021 Destination Mekong Summit, which took place online on 21 and 22 October 2021, under the theme of “Re-start > Re-form > Re-balance”.
On this occasion, Jens Thraenhart, Founder of Destination Mekong and former Executive Director the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO), presented the four members of the DM “Dream Team”: Catherine Germier-Hamel, Gerrit Kruger, Gavin Bell, and Jens Uwe Parkitny, which all had the opportunity to share their visions and passions in taking their new responsibilities.

Recordings of the 2021 DMS here: https://www.destinationmekong.com/dms21/.

Thraenhart stressed that the new Executive Team was “truly world-class and made of experts in their fields, to make sure Destination Mekong can grow and aid the acceleration of the recovery in the Mekong Region”.
He stated that his “proudest accomplishment was to set up a private sector-led regional tourism board with innovative and award-winning programs and initiatives, to execute the mandate of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) to foster public-private sector cooperation.” On 1 November, Jens Thraenhart started a new career as CEO of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.

Meet the new Executive Team of Destination Mekong

 

The appointment of Catherine Germier-Hamel as Chief Executive Officer, Gerrit Kruger as Chief Marketing Officer, and Gavin Bell as Chief Development Officer was effective 1 November. Jens Uwe Parkitny is acting as a strategic advisor in an honorary capacity.

Germier-Hamel, a Eurasian born in France with family heritage from the Mekong region, has lived in Seoul, South Korea, since 2005. Over the past 15 years, she has developed an international career as sustainable tourism development and marketing consultant, and impact entrepreneur.

Gerrit Kruger, a German national, has been involved in the management of Destination Mekong since its creation in 2017 while serving as Managing Director of Chameleon Strategies, an innovative Strategy Think Tank, and an Affiliate Member of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.

Since 2018, Gavin Bell, a British citizen, gained expertise over nearly 30 years of working with governments, international organizations, and the private sector on sustainable tourism initiatives based in Phnom Penh and working with the Ministry of Tourism.

Jens Uwe Parkitny, German, is a well-known tourism executive who has worked for prominent travel and hospitality brands in the Asia Pacific Region. He is the co-owner of Loikaw Lodge by the Lake in Myanmar.

Destinations Mekong setting up the next steps to fulfill its mission

 

Destination Mekong is currently in the process of being incorporated as a legal entity in Singapore. Its executive office will be hosted by the Ministry of Tourism of the Kingdom of Cambodia in Phnom Penh, under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between DM and the Ministry of Tourism, which will also assign local staff.

Over the following months, the Executive Team will focus its efforts on building a strong community of individual, corporate and institutional members and raising funds to support its operations. Its short-term action plan also includes the publication of the Experience Mekong Collection, showcasing responsible and sustainable travel experiences in the Greater Mekong Subregion, and implementing value-added services and solutions to enhance the exposure of its members.

Additionally, Destination Mekong will develop strategic partnerships with organizations sharing the same values and interests. As a start, Destination Mekong has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with the Pacific Tourism Organization (SPTO), to develop mutual tourism collaboration between the six countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion and 20 Pacific Island countries (PICs), based on sharing information, knowledge, and best practices to foster sustainable and inclusive tourism.

During the 2021 DM Summit, the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Tourism Recovery Communications Plan “Unlimited Experiences, Unlimited Stories” was also unveiled, establishing a framework for the activities of Destination Mekong.

https://www.destinationmekong.com/2021/10/31/gms-tourism-recovery-communications-plan/

Committed to playing a leadership role within the global tourism community, Destination Mekong became a proud signatory of the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism launched on 4 November 2021 during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26). The Glasgow Declaration encourages the acceleration of climate action in tourism by securing commitments to reduce emissions in tourism by at least 50% over the next decade and achieve Net Zero as soon as possible before 2050.

The new CEO of Destination Mekong, Catherine Germier-Hamel, states that “More than ever, the global tourism industry has a unique opportunity to demonstrate its transformative power through inspiring and driving climate action. It’s not only an emergency but also a matter of human dignity.”

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Gerrit Krüger

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Gerrit Kruger

Chief Marketing Officer

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"To create good tourism, we need to build pride in communities in their culture, offerings, and products and provide capacity to enable balanced tourism. Only people who like their communities, will invite others to experience."

Gerrit Kruger
What excites you about the Mekong Region?

During my travels in the region, I am always amazed about the variety of experiences it offers. Even within one country, the regions provide different environments, cultures, and vistas. The Khao Yai National Park in Thailand is very different from Chon Buri. The Mekong Delta in Vietnam is different from the central parts of the country. Luang Prabang is different from Vientiane. What excites me is learning about the life stories of the people, especially those, who want to make an impact. There are many things to learn from them on how they overcame adversities and what gives the strength to build a life for their families and support their communities.
Tell us about your Background

I have been working in tourism since I was a student of civil engineering in Weimar, Germany. During that time, I took my first hotel service job and got excited about the services and hospitality industries. I later worked for the World Exhibition and the Autostadt, which is a theme park by Volkswagen, before I decided to change my studies to international marketing and tourism. This brought me to Asia, where I studied at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore before joining the Singapore Tourism Board. Afterwards, I started my first own businesses, supplying hotels with teas and consulting companies on marketing and branding. Year later, I was asked to help Dusit Hotels & Resorts with their branding and loyalty programs, which brought me from Singapore to Bangkok, where I joined Chameleon Strategies, which is the lead partner in Destination Mekong. Overall, I have worked in this sector for close to 20 years and had the privilege to work on a number of exciting international projects in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East and I hope to use this knowledge to support the industry in the region.
How do you want to make an impact for the region?

Research has shown that people have the most engagement from stories. When friends tell you about their holidays, the experiences they had, and the people they met, you are more likely to consider a trip to the same region than when seeing a corporate video or advertisement. You will remember the content of the story more than when you are reading a book and you will feel more emotionally connected to it. The Mekong region has a lot of stories to tell. Stories that inspire, stories that make you think, stories that make you want to experience this wonderful region and its people. I believe by telling these stories, not only to potential tourists but also within the community, we can build a resilient and inclusive tourism sector that benefits communities and the region as a whole.

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GMS Tourism Recovery Communications Plan

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.

Continue reading

Strategic Initiatives and Government Engagement in Tourism | Virginia Messina

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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Concerned Conservationist, Passionate Philanthropist | Bill Bensley

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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Destination Mekong hosts 2021 Mekong World Tourism Day Forum on October 6-7

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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Mekong Tourism Collaboration

Tourism in the Mekong Region is steered collaboratively by a public-private framework between the public and private sectors.

The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office, which is the secretariat of the Tourism Working Group, and Destination Mekong, which is the destination marketing organization led by private sector partners, are both managing initiatives aligned to the GMS Tourism Strategy to create a sustainable and inclusive environment to support businesses and communities in the Mekong Region and provide benefits for all stakeholders – residents, travelers, and businesses.

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Mekong Trends Snapshot – A Bright Future

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.

Continue reading