LADY OF LOURDES HOSPITAL AND COLLEGES OF CAYBIGA

#15 GENERAL LUIS ST. CAYBIGA CALOOCAN CITY

#15 GENERAL LUIS ST. CAYBIGA CALOOCAN CITY

DEVELOPING THE REGIONAL TOURISM PRODUCT
IN THE MEKONG RIVER WATERSHED
(A Case Study)

Submitted by:
Venus C. Besinga
Abbie Joy Faustino
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
I.Title Page…………………………………………………………….1
II. Table of Contents………………………………………………….2
III. Executive Summary…………………………………………….3
IV. Problem (Issue) Statement………………………………………….4
V. Defining the issue(s)/ Problem Statement………….,…………….8
VI. Alternative Analysis…………………………………………....10
VII. Decision Criteria…………………………………………….11
VIII. Recommendation………………………………………13
IX. Action and Implementation Plan…...............................14
X.Conclusion………………………………………………15
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Title of the Case Study: DEVELOPING THE REGIONAL TOURISM

PRODUCT IN THE MEKONG RIVER WATERSHED
Author: Abbie Joy Faustino
Venus Besinga
Course: BACHELOR OF SCIENCE TOURISM MANAGEMENT

This is a descriptive study about developing the regional tourism product

in the Mekong River Watershed, which this river is based of the tourism
along the activity with a significant growth and impact on people’s
livelihoods. Mekong River is a river that dominates a passenger numbers
and vessels due to its ports of fast and easy road access. With this study
we analyzed several possible alternatives which explores the currents
product, market and policy of the Mekong River region and to what
would can be applied in this development by providing an
implementation plan for improving the quality and quantity of the river
based tourism. We gave recommendation on the evaluation of having a
big challenges for the development of the river-based tourism along the
Mekong River.
 Problem (Issue) Statement
The phenomenon of globalization it means that human interactions are
increasingly unencumbered by the presence of national boundaries.
National governments continue to instinctively protect the prerogatives
of sovereignty but, paradoxically, they additionally support policies of
globalization that erode this sovereignty because these policies uphold
the national interest by opening the country's goods and services to
larger markets and by allowing issues of common concern to be dealt
with more effectively at a multilateral level. The European Union is
currently the best example o globalization pursued at the regional scale,
but a similar direction is also manifest in such entities as the North
American Free Trade Area ( NAFTA), the free trade area of southern
south America (MERCOSUR) and the Association of South- East Asian
Nations (ASEAN). A lesser known regional example is the Greater
Mekong Subregion (GMS), which has brought together five countries
( Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam) and two provinces or
autonomous regions of china ( Yunnan and Guangxi) that share the
watershed of the Mekong River. The aim of the GMS, which builds on
earlier regional initiatives (tirasatayapitak & laws 2003), is to fulfill the
economic potential of the subregion by strengthening linkages that
would expedite introregional trade and investment (sofield 2006).
Tourism has been designated as one of 11 flagship areas of focus in the
GMS strategy for the long term development of the region. The rationale
for this, aside from the status of the sector as an important economic
sector in all participating countries, is that tourism resources cross or
share political boundaries (mountain ranges and rivers, for examples)
and hence require a regional approach for the effective planning,
development and management. Participants hope to develop a distinctive
and diverse Mekong tourism brand that will be highly competitive in
international tourism markets. During late 2004 and early 2005,
representatives from each member country formulated a 10 year strategy
for the development of the Mekong regional tourism product, to take
effect from 2006 to 2015, which consists of a clear list of constituent
programs and project ( Asian Development Bank 2005). Informing the
strategy are several objectives. The first of these is to distribute the
benefits of tourism more evenly among the participating countries, in
recognition of the fact that thailand alone in 2005 accounted for 69
percent of all international visitor arrivals in the region, excluding china
( World Tourism Organization 2006). Second, the strategy is intended
to reduce poverty throughout the region while empowering women and
promoting sustainable development. To achieve these objectives, seven
programs have been established.
● Marketing and product development
● Human resource development
● Heritage and social impact management
● Pro-poor tourism development
● Private sector participation
● Facilitations of tourist movements within and to region
● Development of tourism-related infrastructure ( Asian
Development Bank 2005).
Further examination of the strategy and the specific programs reveals the
important role assigned to ecotourism. For example, 10 of the 13 priority
‘tourism destination zones’ earmarked for marketing and product
development are specifically designated as nature/ adventure base or
culture/ nature based while the other three are marine/ river based with
an emphasis or urban tourism and/ beach resorts. The 10 zones with an
explicit nature component encompass relatively remote peripheral
regions characterized by sparse human populations, large amounts of
relatively undisturbed natural vegetation, a large number of protected
areas, a high incidence of poverty and the presence of traditional and
indigenous culture groups. The human resource development program
includes provision for the training of professional guides to interpret the
natural heritage, while the heritage and social impact management
program and infrastructure program advocate the construction of
facilities in protected areas that are environmentally sustainable and
facilitate high-quality interpretation. These two latter programs- and,
even more explicitly, the pro-poor tourism development are directly
related to the paradigm of sustainability, suggesting that the 10 year
strategy is extremely compatible with a development of a comprehensive
and credible ecotourism sector in the Mekong region.
The strategy is ambitious and optimistic, but faces numerous challenges.
One is the desperate nature of the participants, which range politically
from open and capitalist (Thailand) to centrally controlled and socialist
(Vietnam, Laos), Burma and (Myanmar) more over is widely perceived
as a pariah governed incorrigibly corrupt and secretive military elites
who have usually regarded open borders as anathema. In addition,
Thailand, is by far the most prosperous and tourism- intensive of the
members, and it appears to participate on the assumptions that is
dominant status will not be affected (Tirasatayapitak & laws 2003).
Compounding its geographical diversity is a complex management
structure that designates no less than eight layers of administration. For
example, leadership and policy guidance is delegated to member
ministers of tourism or heads of national tourism organizations, while
formulation and implementation of programs and policies is the
responsibility of the GMS Tourism Working Group (TWG) which
consists of highest- level technical employees of member national
tourism organization. The TWG is assisted by an advisory group of
participating international and regional of non- governmental
organizations. In addition, the Mekong Tourism Organization Office
(MTCO) provides organisational capacity to address issues at the
subregional level, and it is assisted in its marketing and product
developments efforts by a private sector partners group (Asian
Development Bank 2005).
The role of Asian Development Bank in the strategy is also a matter of
concern, if loans made to Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos for tourism
purposes in late 2002 are any indication. Of 11 subprojects funded by
the bank three involved ‘airport improvement’, two involved ' access
roads' to environmental sites, three involved 'environmental
improvement' and two entailed 'river pier development’ (Asian
Development Bank 2006). This indicates a strong emphasis on
infrastructure that may not take into account the capacity of target
environments to accommodate this development or the expected hordes
of tourists whose entry will be facilitated by its construction. Yet most
stakeholders support this emphasis on infrastructure because of its
common role in facilitating development in areas associated with the 10
non- tourism flagships areas of the GMS. Such constructions, however,
is likely to be undertaken long before relevant staff and administrators
are empowered with the tools and skills to ensure that subsequent
tourists intakes are managed sustainably. Such concerns are abetted by
the above-mentioned existence of a program focused on private sector
participation and the establishments of the private sectors partners group
as an advisory body of the MTCO. Hence, the type of ecotourism that
will emerge as a result of the strategy, or whether it will be authentic
ecotourism at all is an issue that has yet to be determined.
 Defining the issue(s)/ Problem Statement:

What appears to be the problem?

● High incidence of poverty
● Lack of coordination between the stakeholders
● Lack of awareness of river- based tourism

How do I know that this is a problem?

The phenomenon of globalization means that human interactions are
increasingly unaffected by the existence of national borders. The
Mekong Watershed is one of the important water parts of the Mekong
river where the exchange of their products takes place between different
countries. Because of the poverty that exits here in Mekong and the
residents who live here and of course the natives who also lives here.
There is some of infrastructure in the river that become threats for the
people who work here because of the low level of the operations.

What are the immediate issues that need to be addressed?

Basically the issue to be address by this case is to have a proper
implementation plan which contains plans that can help the Mekong and
the people living here. This issue is important for the environment, for
the community and for the subregion of Mekong by developing
responsibilities and policies that further promote the exchange of
markets and products.

With this issue addressed it will result with:

Profitability- The Mekong region will be more outstanding by
exchanging of markets and products and also the tourism spot, it will
gain profit due to the local and international countries exchanging a
markets.
Competitive Advantage- The trade will be good because of different
countries exchanging their products.
Community Satisfaction- There will be livelihoods for the people who
live here especially the women and men who want to make a living, also
many tourists will come to visit the place.
 Alternative Analysis:
I would divide the alternatives into two groups. The first group will
consist of choices for the evaluation of MTCO and GMS. While the
second group, will consist of choices for the evaluation of the people in
the community.

PLAN A.
Expand the demand for Mekong river- based tourism
• By this it advocates the development of a mekong cruise by the
collaboration with the private sectors between the domestic and
international markets that will grow the demand through the exchanging
of products.
• By the help of the MTCO and international organizations by promoting
the Mekong river as a local tourists attractions which it will gives an
encourages to partnering.

PLAN B.
Develop a unified policy for a Mekong river-based tourism
• By this the workforce of an organization is to help the people who live
in the community and to give a chance to training them on how to
protect the environment.
• To support and to improve the policy of the development of river-
based tourism to be established and to take care of.

PLAN C.
• Putting some safety and security for the community especially for the
tourists and business operators who uses this river because of the poor
quality of the river that lead to an accidents.
Decision Criteria
Evaluation:
PLAN A
- Develop a river cruise tourism where the tourists can experience
across several countries in region.

Pros:
• The tourists can experience crossing several countries that serving in
the region of GMS
• It can create a growth of the industry where it can accommodate
increasing size of the tourists
• The cruise passengers can experience a shore excursions where they
can visits the places that are located in the river- based.

Cons:
• It can create an economic impacts
• It can be expensive
• It can create a pollution

PLAN B
-The GMS will create a policies for the community and for the visitors.

Pros:
• People will be more disciplined
• To prevent outsiders to entering without a visa
• It will help to monitored the mekong subregion

Cons:
• This plan will be more strict to the tourists
• This will take a time to them to adapt the new policies.
PLAN C
- Develop a pro-poor development for the locals who lives in that
region.

Pros
• The region will experience a sustainable growth
•It will help to enhances the ability for poor women and men
• The economic growth will be increased
Cons
• The opportunities will be limited only.
• It will have a corruption where the income will increased and also
having a biased for the tax systems.

Recommendation

For this case, as the tourism students we would like to recommend three
highly studied solution/ alternatives to enhance the livelihoods for the
people and communities through the cooperation of the partnerships and
sustaining the development.

First, Develop a unified policy for the Mekong river- based tourism
which it will give a safeguarding the place and environment. Basic steps
were taken to protect and preventing by the help of the locals and
tourists ensuring they respect the environment and other area in Mekong
river.
This proper policy will help to secure the livelihoods of the people who
lives in that community and also to controls the tourists and businesses
by maintaining privacy and integrity of the organization.
Second, Expand the demand for Mekong river-based tourism in which
the products that offers and arrived will be increased, so that it will help
the community and the mekong area is more expansive and more
recognizable because of its products and the tourists spots that can
tourists visit.
Lastly, legal permit and visa should be first check before the Mekong
government letting the person build their businesses. Illegal businesses
it’s the one that makes people to encourage by exchanging an illegal
products.

Action and Implementation Plan

• Expand the demand for Mekong river- based tourism

⮚ We will coordinate with Mekong Tourism Cooperating
Organizations(MTCO) and Mekong River Commission ( MRC) to
meet the regional and national tour to operates where they can
share good practices in product development for delivery and
marketing.
⮚ We will encourage public and private sectors stakeholders to show
the cruise Mekong brand in their regular marketing activites.

• Develop a river cruise tourism development both for the locals and
tourists.
 ⮚ We will develop a river based adventure tourism to organize a
workshops where the opportunities can get by seeking the
stakeholders to invest from both public and private sectors with the
International Rafting Federation and Adventure Travel Trade
Association.

Conclusion
In conclusion, this study demonstrate the benefits of it by protecting and
improving the development of Mekong river-based tourism and also to
implement the cooperation between the private and public stakeholders.

As the Mekong river-based tourism new implementation of this strategy

can attract many tourists and also some international partnerships will
exchange their products and the demand of the markets will grow. The
MTCO still continuing to draw attention by protecting and maintaining
the area which it can help to promote the other places.
GMS and MTCO will doing their best to safeguarding the Mekong river,
so that the visitors can visit the place and getting to know the heritage of
this place.