The Government of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) with assistance of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) virtually convened the 46th Meeting of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Tourism Working Group (TWG-46) on 3 December 2020. The meeting was attended by representatives of the National Tourism Organizations (NTOs) of the six GMS countries—Cambodia, the People’s Republic of China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam—the MTCO, and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The Government of Viet Nam will host the 24th Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Subregional Transport Forum (STF–24) on 21 January 2021 with the theme “Forging Greater Transport Connectivity Toward the Visions of GMS-2030.”

The 27th Meeting of the Regional Power Trade Coordination Committee was held on 15 October 2020 via web-based conferencing. The National Energy Administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC), in cooperation with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), organized the meeting.

The 11th Economic Corridors Forum (ECF-11) was held on 28 October 2020 with the theme “Boosting Competitiveness, Connectivity, and Community in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Economic Corridors through Focused and Integrated Spatial Development.” 

The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) held a Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) on 27 October 2020 via web-based conferencing. It was attended by GMS Senior officials and ADB officials. 

A GMS Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) was held on 11 September 2020 via web-based conferencing to review (i) proposed key GMS strategic planning documents and knowledge products, which includes GMS COVID-19 response initiatives and the new long-term strategy for the GMS program, and (ii) preparations for upcoming GMS events—the 11th Economic Corridors Forum (ECF-11), the 24th GMS Ministerial Conference (MC-24), and the 7th GMS Summit (Summit-7).  

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) held a joint virtual dialogue on Labor Migration in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) on 8 September 2020, with the aim of strengthening cooperation through enhanced labor migration management.

When it comes to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak no one is safe until everyone is safe. This was one of the key points emphasized by Dr.

As countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion slowly move toward the ‘new normal,’ they are also enacting phased approaches to implement tourism recovery. The challenge for the subregion’s travel and tourism sector is to manage and mitigate the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and build back a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient tourism sector.