Journal of Greater Mekong Subregion Development Studies, Vol. 2 (October 2005)

Abstract

The fledgling Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Journal for Development Studies, published under the auspices of the Phnom Penh Plan (PPP) for Development Management, moves a step ahead with the second issue. In what might be considered as “ascending steps,” GMS scholarship is moving forward, slowly but surely. The PPP’s commitment is to ensure that we continue to make strides towards our goal of bridging the gap between research and capacity building and to propagate the gospel of balanced socioeconomic development in the GMS. These five articles attempt to portray that balance. Three articles are concerned with the broad issue of regional cooperation through various trade mechanisms. The other two focus on environmental concerns: one specifically addresses the relationship between environmental management and poverty and the other on solid waste management practices. Both articles, while concerned with the major issue of environmental management in the GMS, are unified by the theme of market-based policies and practices for environmental conservation. This approach ties in neatly with the first three articles on trade and regional cooperation where concerns for economic growth through trade are filtered through the more important consideration of poverty reduction.focuses on a central issue confronting policy makers in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS): tourism and its impact on income distribution. With the subregion fast becoming a major tourism hub, the challenge is to ensure that tourism results in positive economic and social outcomes. The GMS is culturally diverse, has a rich heritage, and is endowed with stunning natural resources. These combine to make it one of the most promising tourism destinations in the world today. Tourist arrivals are projected to increase fourfold from current levels of 16 million to about 46–52 million in 2015. The subregion is cleverly marketed as a single tourism destination. New products are being developed, and new market segments are being addressed. This strategy is projected to accelerate tourism development even further in the next ten years.