Promoting Creative Industry for Heritage Tourism Development in the Mekong Region (Creative4Mekong)

The creative industry plays a vital role in boosting the cultural tourism sector in the Mekong countries, significantly contributing to their economies. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted this sector. Heritage sites, in particular, are experiencing slower recovery compared to other areas and varies among the countries due to differences in economic development levels and their ability to respond and recover. This has put cultural skills and knowledge at risk, as workers leave in search of new opportunities, taking with them their local artisanal skills and cultural knowledge, potentially leading to the disappearance of traditional heritage and the foundation of cultural knowledge associated with key heritage monuments.

There a noticeable disconnection between newer generations of tourists and heritage sites,resulting in a lower proportion of overall visitors to Mekong heritage sites. This demographic tends to be older and spends less per day compared to the average tourist. The lack of appeal among younger travelers is evident, as cultural artifacts may seem remote and disconnected from their interests. To remedy this, a digital connection is essential to breathe life into these artifacts, reigniting interest in history, and potentially prolonging their stay, thus increasing tourist numbers.The limited capacity of heritage site management authorities and public institutions in most Mekong countries poses challenges in complying with UNESCO heritage site standards, which necessitate continuous upgrading of knowledge and skills. Furthermore, declining ticket sales jeopardize the ability of these tourist sites to finance the costly maintenance and operations required to preserve their valuable heritage status.To address these issues, the Mekong Institute is implementing a project titled "Promoting Creative Industry for Heritage Tourism Development in the Mekong Region" from March 2024- February 2027. Funded by the Mekong – ROK Cooperation Fund (MKCF), the project focuses on strengthening creative industries, cultural heritage conservation, and tourism development for socio-economic recovery in five World Heritage Sites in five Mekong Countries namely Siem Reap (Cambodia), Luang Prabang (Laos), Bagan (Myanmar), Ayutthaya(Thailand) and Hue (Viet Nam). Read more...