YANGON, Myanmar 21 May 2026: Tourism leaders, destination experts, community tourism practitioners, educators, hospitality professionals, and regional partners from across the Greater Mekong Subregion will meet in Yangon from 16 to 18 June 2026 for the Mekong Tourism Forum 2026.
Themed “Tourism for People, Travel with Purpose,” the event is organised by the Ministry of Hotels, Tourism and Culture of Myanmar and the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office.
Taking place at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Yangon, this year’s programme will feature keynote presentations, industry insight sessions, panel discussions, networking opportunities, and technical visits in and around Yangon.
Ahead of the main forum, a practical pre-forum workshop on evidence-based destination marketing and tourism insights will focus on practical approaches to tourism intelligence, destination marketing, and cross-border collaboration.
MTF highlights both international experts and changemakers from within the Mekong region itself — spotlighting practitioners, community leaders, social enterprises, researchers, tourism innovators, and local champions whose work directly shapes tourism across Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The forum will open with a keynote address by Masaru Takayama titled “Tourism for People: From Principles to Lasting Impact,” exploring tourism through the framework of Conservation, Community, Culture, and Commerce.
Speakers across the programme will include representatives and experts from organisations such as AirAsia MOVE, Planeterra, Asian Ecotourism Network, Clickable Impact, ASEAN Tourism Association, and Local Alike.
“Tourism is one of the few sectors where local communities can directly benefit from human connection, cultural exchange, and shared experiences. MTF 2026 is built around the belief that tourism should serve people and places first,” said the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office Executive Director Dee Suvimol Thanasarakij.
Complimentary registration for the Mekong Tourism Forum 2026 is now open. To sign up and view the full programme, visit www.mekongtourism.org.
About the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office
Established in 2006, the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) is a tourism collaboration framework for the six governments of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) — Cambodia, China (Yunnan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. MTCO’s work programme is guided by the GMS Tourism Working Group (TWG), composed of senior representatives of the National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) of the six member countries.
(Source: Mekong Tourism Cordinating Office)
