The Elephant Conservation Centre (ECC) nailed Laos’ slot on the 2019 Experience Mekong Collection (EMC) Showcase at January’s ASEAN Tourism Forum in Halong Bay, Vietnam, by taking top honours in the “Do” category.
The ECCTeam
The ECC captured the “Do” class for Laos by offering learning experiences with elephants led by a dedicated team of guides, mahouts and elephant veterinarians. Visitors can choose from several tour options at ECC’s Sayabouly Province home at the Nam Tien protected area and reservoir with bungalow accommodation.
Created two years ago to recognize and encourage sustainable and responsible tourism development, the EMC, a Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) initiative, spotlights six organisations for their annual showcase.
By choosing one organization from each Greater Mekong Subregion) country, the MTCO aims to endorse and select those exhibiting best practice tourism and are committed to sustainable and responsible practices.
Showcases are thematically categorized by ‘DO’, ‘SHOP’, ‘STAY’, ‘TASTE’, ‘TOUR’, and ‘CRUISE’.
“The importance of responsible tourism cannot be underestimated and the Experience Mekong Collection is a wonderful way of highlighting small business examples of good practice,” said MTCO executive director Jens Thraenhart.
“In doing so, this sets several benchmarks to further improve travel experiences in the Greater Mekong Subregion. We hope this motivates other operators to become more involved and do their part for responsible tourism,” he said.
For more about the EMC, click here.
