Destination Mekong Summit Phnom Penh

Destination Mekong will hold its third Destination Mekong Summit in Trellion and Aquation Parks on Koh Pich island in Phnom Penh on 14 to 15 December, 2022. The event will also be held online.

Destination Mekong is a private regional tourism board based in Cambodia, the summit will have the theme Together – Smarter – Stronger.

Destination Mekong Summit

The 2022 summit will involve 40 speakers from both private and public sectors involved in tourism, hospitality and travel. There will be eight panel sessions, including Championing the GMS as a sustainable tourism destination; Practicing social responsibility and inclusiveness in tourism; and Catching the value of local culture, know-how and creativity.

Catherine Germier-Hamel, CEO of Destination Mekong, says, “This 2022 DMS comes at a perfect time when we still have the chance to take stock of the lessons learnt in the past few years, and restart, rethink, and rebalance tourism so that it can truly contribute to inclusive local development and empowerment in the region.”

Mark Bibby Jackson, Chair of the Executive Board of Destination Mekong, says, “The travel and tourism industry has come in for much criticism in recent years, particularly in terms of its environmental impact, this summit allows us to convey the positive role the industry can play as well as the necessity to promote social and economic sustainability if we are to achieve our environmental sustainability goals.”

“Responsible tourists are a key player in wildlife conservation and sustainable local livelihood development. Wildlife and local cultures are priceless assets for tourism activities which need to be protected and restored,” says Teak Seng, Country Director of WWF-Cambodia. “Cambodia is blessed with rich biodiversity on earth but the nature-based tourism in Cambodia hasn’t reached its full potential at this point due to the limited infrastructure, quality products and services.”