PHNOM PENH, 6 July 2023: Destination Mekong appointed four new directors to its 16-member board at its annual general meeting held online yesterday.
Destination Mekong represents the private sector travel and hospitality companies in the Mekong Region (Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam).
Eight nominees contested for four directorships that became vacant when directors completed a one-year term after the destination marketing organisation was officially launched as a legal entity in Singapore and Cambodia. Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism HQ in Phnom Penh hosts the Destination Mekong operations office.
The incoming directors are Phan Thanh Ha, partnership officer of Asset-H&C Network; Nikolas Hatz of HatzConsult and managing director lead consultant and tourism development expert GIZ; Hannah Pearson founder of Pear Anderson; and Guido Neil, director of special operations 12GO.
Destination Mekong’s CEO Catherine Germier-Hamel opened the AGM presentations by outlining the strategy going forward, saying the DMO would remain true to its founding objectives by “promoting sustainable, inclusive tourism, market capacity building and value-added branding.”
DM’s commercial marketing officer, Gerrit Kruger, noted that initially, the organisation had not concentrated on recruiting paid memberships which start as low as USD60 a year.
“Our priority was building partnerships and establishing tangible benefits for members. This has unfolded through webinars, workshops and storytelling-focused destination marketing.”
Destination Mekong will concentrate on reviving its successful Mekong Collection and other initiatives that suffered a direct hit during the Covid pandemic. At the height of its success, the Mekong Collection had 500 participating travel and hospitality experiences spotlighted in social media.
Most of the previous Mekong promotions and projects remain inactive, awaiting the pick-up of sponsors. However, the Mekong Mini Movies is now a priority to revive as quickly as possible, leading to the return of the Mekong Mini Movie Festival. The event was launched in 2018 and gained rave reviews as it spotlighted individuals who produced videos on small budgets. Covid-19 knocked the show off the calendar, and efforts to revive it in 2022 failed. It is now a priority, with Destination Mekong seeking new sponsors.
Destination Mekong will add more working groups recruiting industry experts to review and advise on specific themes. Three new working groups are about to be established. They will focus on Cruises and River Tourism, Ecotourism and Community-based Tourism and Tourism Hospitality Certification.
The signature event for the organisation is the annual Destination Mekong Summit, which will be held from 6 to 7 December in one of the six Mekong Region countries. The venue will be decided at the next board meeting in August. The event will adopt the theme “Mekong in Motion, Mekong Emotions.”
The new directors joining the Destination Mekong board
Once the appointment of the new directors has been ratified at the next board meeting this August, the board will consist of 15 (one vacant place). They will serve the organisation for the next two years.
The board lineup 2023 to 2025
