As Chair of Destination Mekong Mark Bibby Jackson welcomes the 2022 Destination Mekong Summit which will be held in a hybrid format on 14-15 December in Phnom Penh.

Following his election to the Destination Mekong Board, Bibby Jackson was elected chair of the private regional tourism board of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), earlier in the year. The summit will be the first major event during his stewardship. It will take place in Trellion and Aquation Parks on Koh Pich in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and online, under the theme ‘Together – Smarter – Stronger’.

“The travel and tourism industry has come in for much criticism in recent years, particularly in terms of its environmental impact, this summit allows us to convey the positive role the industry can play as well as the necessity to promote social and economic sustainability if we are to achieve our environmental sustainability goals,” stressed Mark Jackson, Bibby Jackson said prior to the event.

A two-day journey celebrating creativity, diversity and inclusivity, the Destination Mekong Summit will feature 40 speakers from all sectors discussing various elements of tourism and travel in the GMS region.

Bibby Jackson will make an opening address at the summit in which he will thank the Government of Cambodia for its support of Destination Mekong, as well as outgong chair Willem Niemeijer, founder Dr Jens Thraenhart, and the Destination Mekong Team. He will also use the opportunity to paint his picture for the future of tourism in the region.

You can learn more about Destination Mekong and the Summit, here.

The post Bibby Jackson Welcomes Destination Mekong Summit appeared first on Mark Bibby Jackson.

Mark Bibby Jackson, founder of Travel Begins at 40, was elected to the Destination Mekong Board on 3 June, as an Executive Board Member.

Bibby Jackson has been working closely with the regional destination marketing organisation for the past year, acting as editor-at-large for the forthcoming Mekong Stories publication.

“It is an honour to be elected to the Destination Mekong Board,” said Bibby Jackson. “The Mekong is where I started my career as a journalist and it is a region that I hold close to my heart.”

Bibby Jackson hopes that in his role as an Executive Board Member he can help promote positive stories of real people in the Mekong whose livelihoods are dependent upon the tourism industry.

“Before Covid there was a lot of emphasis on the negative side of tourism, now is the time to emphasis the positive role the industry an play, without greenwashing the truth,” he said.

Bibby Jackson was elected at the first Annual General Meeting of Destination Mekong, along with: Duangmala Phommavong, Co-Founder and Partner, EXO Travel Lao; Fréderic Tambon, Founder and CEO, Society and Fred; Guido Neil, Director Special Operations, 12Go; Melita Koulmandas, CEO/Founder, Song Saa Collective; Nguyen Tuan Linh, Owner, Mr. Linh’s Adventures Travel; Dr Sasithara Pichaichannarong, Rector, College of Tourism, Hospitality, and Sports, Rangsit University, Thailand; and Sophea Sok, Regional Program Manager, Asia-Pacific, Planeterra Foundation.

At the AGM it was also announced that Destination Mekong would prioritise the new Mekong Tourism Recovery Communications Plan, starting with the release of the Mekong Stories book that Bibby Jackson has edited in June.

Destination Mekong is owned and funded by the private sector of the travel and tourism industry in the six countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion – China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

If you wish to become a Destination Mekong Changemaker, cick here.

The post Bibby Jackson Elected to Destination Mekong Board appeared first on Mark Bibby Jackson.

The Cheshire and High Life North magazines and Euronews all published articles by Mark Bibby Jackson in August.

Bibby Jackson wrote about which European countries should you consider visiting as travel re-starts for The Cheshire Magazine, and international destinations to consider for your next trip for High Life North. Euronews published Bibby Jackson’s article on why we should all start travelling again as soon as we feel comfortable. The article was also reposted on New York Metropolitan Magazine.

The Cheshire Magazine is dedicated to Cheshire, Manchester and the surrounding areas. It covers the latest in fashion, society, art, culture, travel, entertainment, and has a readership of 48 thousand per month.

High Life North is a digital magazine for women with everything from fashion to food, careers and challenging topics. It readership is 12 thousand per month.

EuroNews is an European news TV station. It’s website covers news, business, sport, travel and culture. It has 22 million visitors per month.

The coverage is part of a campaign to highlight Bibby Jackson’s knowledge of the travel industry and especially food and responsible travel.

It follows on from his interview on Food Travel Talk TV, and a future chat on Radio Dean as well as a podcast with Jane Hawkes.

More articles will be published in August and September.

The post The Cheshire, High Life North, Euronews Feature Bibby Jackson appeared first on Mark Bibby Jackson.

Mark Bibby Jackson has been appointed editor of eXist : the Climate Friendly Travel bulletin by SunX Malta. The first issue was released on 1 July and featured an interview with Willem Niemeijer, founder of tour operator Khiri Travel, and CEO of YAANA Ventures. 

In 2020, Bibby Jackson started a course in Climate Friendly Tourism at SunX Malta under the guidance of Professor Geoffrey Lipman. eXist is the first fruit of their work together following the conclusion of the first year of the course.

“The diploma in Climate Friendly Tourism changed my perspective on the role that travel and tourism can play in a positive light to confront the cataclysmic potential of global heating,” says Bibby Jackson. “In the build up to COP 26 in Glasgow we will be considering a raft of challenges facing the sector in our monthly bulletin.”

The 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) will be held in Glasgow from 31 October – 12 November 2021.

Bibby Jackson is indebted to the work of Angela Rodriguez for her wonderful design of the bulletin.

The post eXist : the Climate Friendly Travel Bulletin appeared first on Mark Bibby Jackson.