BANGKOK, 2 October 2019: The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office announced, Tuesday, the names of the 10 startup firms that will compete in the Mekong Innovative Startups in Tourism (MIST) competition 9 October.
This year, MIST will be held in Bangkok alongside a new event the Travel Startups Asia Forum. MIST finalists represent two categories: Travel tech ventures and social impact enterprises.
MIST finalists
| Travel Tech Ventures | Social Impact Enterprises | |
| Cambodia | Ticket 2 Asiahttps://hello.last2ticket.com/asia |
Rotanak https://rotanak.co/ |
| Lao PDR |
Loca https://www.loca.la | Buffalo Dairy http://www.laosbuffalodairy.com |
| Myanmar | Get Ride https://ride.get.com.mm | Living Irrawaddy Dolphins https://burmadolphins.com |
| Thailand | Golf Digg https://www.golfdigg.com | Find Folk https://findfolk.com |
| Viet Nam | Go Eat Me https://www.goeat.me | Spa Noir http://www.journeyofthesenses.vn |
Now in its third year with hundreds of alumni, MIST is jointly managed by the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office and Mekong Business Initiative (MBI). MBI and MIST are supported by the Australian Government and the Asian Development Bank. This year, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Pacific Asia Travel Association are also supporting the programme.
MIST was set up to help travel startups the Greater Mekong Subregion to gain a foothold and thrive in the globally competitive tourism industry.
MBI and ADB Ventures head, Dominic Mellor said: “As one of the first travel startup programmes created by a regional tourism board, MIST has attracted nearly 500 applications and generated millions of social shares in the first three years. It has elevated the status and prestige of tourism entrepreneurship across the region.”
The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office executive director Jens Thraenhart added: “Recognising both travel tech ventures and social impact enterprises, MIST is well-positioned to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals, encourage inclusive and responsible tourism development, and promote gender equity in the Mekong Region.”
On 8 October, MIST finalists are invited to the Pacific Asia Travel Association headquarters to network with tourism industry leaders, potential investors, and mentors.
On 9 October, the MIST 2019 final pitch competition will be held at the creative space Quaint Brasserie Bangkok as part of the Travel Startups Asia Forum.
After the morning MIST pitches, the Travel Startups Asia Forum features more than 25 speakers.
The opening keynote will be presented by Senator Weerasak Kowsurat. The closing keynote will be given by Nok Airlines founder Patee Sarasin.
After the announcement of the 2019 MIST Winner, all delegates are invited to celebrate and network at a Thai Barbecue Party hosted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
For delegates arriving in Bangkok 8 October, the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office, Pacific Asia Travel Association, and Travel Massive will host an informal industry networking happy hour at Riedel Wine Bar, Gayson Village, 2nd Floor, 1730 to 2030.
Register at https://travelmassive.com/events/2019/10/travel-massive-industry-networking-happy-hour-pata/mtco.
For more information and to register for MIST 2019, visit https://mist.asia/mist-forum-tourism-startups-asia-conference-2019/.
Also visit: www.mist.asia
