Foreign tourists visit Cai Rang floating market in the Mekong Delta province of Can Tho. (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - The tourism accelerator Mekong Innovative Startup Tourism (MIST) has announced the recipients of four 2017 Mekong BusinessInitiative Innovation Grants.
Accordingly, GoP, a travel tech startup from Myanmar, took the top prize and received10,000 USD. Artisan Origins by TAEC, a social enterprise from Laos, as well as Cambodia’s Camboticket and Vietnam’s ChameleonCity, three travel techstartups, received 7,000 USD each.
Nguyen Thi HuongLien and Nguyen Thi Thu from I Love Asia Tour andNguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh from Morning Rooms were recognized with WISE Women’sLeadership Awards and will enjoy mentorship through Vietnam’s Women’s Initiative for Startups and Entrepreneurship(WISE).
The awardsreceived enthusiastic applause from government officials, destination marketersand tourism industry leaders who gathered in Luang Prabang, Laos, for the MekongTourism Forum GalaDinner.
“MIST is globallyunique in how it integrates the Greater Mekong Subregion’s travel startups intoan ecosystem for sustainable tourism development. The entrepreneurs I have metthrough MIST have convinced me that tourism in our region has a very brightfuture,” said Jens Thraenhart, executive director of the Mekong TourismCoordinating Office and organizer of the Mekong Tourism Forum.
MIST began in December 2016 as a joint venture between the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office and theGovernment of Australia and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) supported Mekong Business Initiative (MBI). Itincludes a Startup Accelerator for early-stage startups from Cambodia, Laos,Myanmar and Vietnam. It also includes a Market Access Program for maturestartups based anywhere in the world that want MIST’s assistance localizingproven tourism products and solutions into the Greater Mekong Sub-region. MISTreceived more than 250 applications in 2017.
Dominic Mellor, senior ADB economist and head of the MBI,said: “Tourism is one vertical – along with agribusiness, financial, environmental,and smart city technology solutions – where the Mekong Business Initiativebelieves that entrepreneurs can have an outsized impact on the region’seconomies. We believe that MIST has found some of the best and brightesttourism industry entrepreneurs, and we hope that the grant money they havereceived, the networks they have built, and the knowledge they have receivedthrough MIST will accelerate not only their own businesses but the GreaterMekong Sub-region’s economies as well.”
Four MIST Market Access Program participants also receivedawards at the Mekong Tourism Forum Gala Dinner. Adventure Bucket List fromCanada and TakeMeTour from Thailandjointly won Best in Show. Malaysia’s BorderPass received the MIST Special Innovation Award, and Malaysia’s LokaLocal took top prize for SocialImpact.
MIST’s organizers committed to continuing the program in2018 and beyond, noting priorities for 2018 including establishing partnershipswith other incubation and acceleration programs, involving investors in designingthe next iteration of the program, welcoming new private sector partners andsponsors, and continuing to identify the region’s top travel startups. -VNA
Accordingly, GoP, a travel tech startup from Myanmar, took the top prize and received10,000 USD. Artisan Origins by TAEC, a social enterprise from Laos, as well as Cambodia’s Camboticket and Vietnam’s ChameleonCity, three travel techstartups, received 7,000 USD each.
Nguyen Thi HuongLien and Nguyen Thi Thu from I Love Asia Tour andNguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh from Morning Rooms were recognized with WISE Women’sLeadership Awards and will enjoy mentorship through Vietnam’s Women’s Initiative for Startups and Entrepreneurship(WISE).
The awardsreceived enthusiastic applause from government officials, destination marketersand tourism industry leaders who gathered in Luang Prabang, Laos, for the MekongTourism Forum GalaDinner.
“MIST is globallyunique in how it integrates the Greater Mekong Subregion’s travel startups intoan ecosystem for sustainable tourism development. The entrepreneurs I have metthrough MIST have convinced me that tourism in our region has a very brightfuture,” said Jens Thraenhart, executive director of the Mekong TourismCoordinating Office and organizer of the Mekong Tourism Forum.
MIST began in December 2016 as a joint venture between the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office and theGovernment of Australia and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) supported Mekong Business Initiative (MBI). Itincludes a Startup Accelerator for early-stage startups from Cambodia, Laos,Myanmar and Vietnam. It also includes a Market Access Program for maturestartups based anywhere in the world that want MIST’s assistance localizingproven tourism products and solutions into the Greater Mekong Sub-region. MISTreceived more than 250 applications in 2017.
Dominic Mellor, senior ADB economist and head of the MBI,said: “Tourism is one vertical – along with agribusiness, financial, environmental,and smart city technology solutions – where the Mekong Business Initiativebelieves that entrepreneurs can have an outsized impact on the region’seconomies. We believe that MIST has found some of the best and brightesttourism industry entrepreneurs, and we hope that the grant money they havereceived, the networks they have built, and the knowledge they have receivedthrough MIST will accelerate not only their own businesses but the GreaterMekong Sub-region’s economies as well.”
Four MIST Market Access Program participants also receivedawards at the Mekong Tourism Forum Gala Dinner. Adventure Bucket List fromCanada and TakeMeTour from Thailandjointly won Best in Show. Malaysia’s BorderPass received the MIST Special Innovation Award, and Malaysia’s LokaLocal took top prize for SocialImpact.
MIST’s organizers committed to continuing the program in2018 and beyond, noting priorities for 2018 including establishing partnershipswith other incubation and acceleration programs, involving investors in designingthe next iteration of the program, welcoming new private sector partners andsponsors, and continuing to identify the region’s top travel startups. -VNA
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