MEKONG TOURISM FORUM TO ATTRACT BROAD RANGE OF BUYERS

The sixth Mekong Tourism Forum will take place in the City of Eternal Spring, Kunming, Yunnan province of China (PRC) March 30-April 1, 2001, just prior to the PATA Travel Mart in Singapore, April 3-6.

NTOs, government officials, airline leaders, hoteliers, tour operators, travel agents and media from Yunnan, Thailand, Lao PDR, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar will meet to discuss marketing, cross-border co-operation, infrastructure and visa procedures.

Panellists will also discuss dot.com dilemmas, air access and better management of familiarisation trips. Breakout sessions will encourage all delegates to voice their opinions on priority issues facing the six destinations.

Trade business will also be conducted at the Buyers and Sellers Business Session during the event. Twelve pre- and post-event tour options, all offered at special rates, will showcase Yunnan's unique attractions such as the Stone Forest, Qixing ethnic village in Kunming, Jade Dragon Mountain and the Black Dragon Pool in Lijiang.

"As the forum is just two days prior to the PATA Travel Mart in Singapore, it will attract a larger number of diverse travel planners from Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Middle East," said Ms. Malinee Kitapanich, PATA's Director-Southeast Asia. "This innovative event offers a great opportunity for delegates to meet overseas buyers whose business is to promote the Mekong Region to a global audience."

The forum will carry the theme "Appraising the Jewels of the Mekong," and the event will provide a platform for the public and private sectors of the six Mekong region destinations to address sub-regional tourism issues as well as assist in the expansion of marketing networks to promote Mekong destinations.

The sixth Mekong Tourism Forum is organised by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and hosted by the China National Tourism Administration and the Yunnan Provincial Tourism Administration.

Registration for PATA members is US$120 per delegate, US$170 for non-members and US$50 for spouses for social functions only. Early birds will receive a US$20 discount for registering before January 15, 2001. The late fee is US$20 for registrations received after March 1, 2001.