Mekong Tourism Forum 2018 Zipevent
Mekong Tourism Forum 2018

Speaker

JAMES SUTHERLAND Zipevent

JAMES SUTHERLAND

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR, FRIENDS INTERNATIONAL

James Sutherland of Friends-International in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, leads the communications efforts of the NGO, focused on child safety and protection in Southeast Asia. Friends-International was born on the streets of Phnom Penh in August 1994. FI initially provided services to the street kids found in the Cambodian capital in the aftermath of years of genocide and conflict in the country. The original Friends project, Mith Samlanh (which means ‘Friends’ in Khmer – all programs use a local language version of ‘Friends’ in their name) became a local NGO in 1999, and then went on to expand both programs and partnerships in the following years, developing social business and child protection elements to ensure comprehensive and creative solutions and services for all the marginalized youth and communities we now work with. The 17 children whose lives FI changed in 1994 have grown to over 130,000 in the ensuing decades, thanks to our innovative partnership model of ‘Together, building futures’.

MEKONG TOURISM FORUM – TRANSFORMING TRAVEL

27 June 2018 | 16:00 - 18:30 | NAKHON PHANOM UNIVERSITY - SRIKOTRABOON CONFERENCE CENTER (3RD FLOOR)

On Wednesday afternoon, discussions ranging from Buddhist Tourism to Responsible Tourism focus on the potential of transforming travel and people’s lives. 16:00 16:10 Emcee – Opening Dr. Jutamas Wisansing – CEO, Perfect Link Consulting 16:10 16:30 Transforming Travel Keynote Mr. Jeremy Smith – Author, “Transforming Travel” 16:30 16:55 A Day in a Buddhist Temple Malao StudiosThe Buddhist Circuits of Southeast AsiaMr. Lim Kooi Fong – Founder, BuddhistTravel.com 16:55 17:30 Panel: Buddhist Tourism in the Mekong Region Moderator: Mr. Imtiaz Muqbil, Editor – Travel Impact Newswire Panelists: Mr. Lim Kooi Fong – Founder, BuddhistTravel.com Mr. Malraj Kiriella – Former CEO, Sri Lanka Tourism Dr. Kanokrot Phalakornkul – Editor, 5000s Magazine Mr. Somchai Vitdamrong – Governor, Nakhon Phanom Provincial Government 17:30 17:45 Child Welfare in Tourism Guide Mr. James Sutherland – Communications Manager, Friends International 17:45 18:00 Mekong Trends Report on Responsible Tourism Mr. Jens Thraenhart – Executive Director, Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office 18:00 18:30 Panel: Experience Mekong Collection Showcases Moderator: Dr. Walanchalee Wattanacharoensil – Professor, Mahidol University International College Panelists: Ms. Momoko Ikeuchi – Sales Manager, Phare Circus (Cambodia) Mr. Somsak Boonkam – CEO & Founder, LocalAlike (Thailand) Ms. Phitsamai Sipaza – Assistant Manager, Ock Pop Tok Living Arts Center (Laos) Ms. Yin Myo Su – CEO & Founder, Inle Heritage (Myanmar) Mr. Zhu Jinsheng (Jason) – Deputy Party Secretary, Guilin Tourism University (Representing: Longji Rice Terraces, Guangxi, PR China) Closing Dr. Jutamas Wisansing – CEO, Perfect Link Consulting