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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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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