The COVID-19 pandemic created a crisis for communities around the world. In tourist hubs and border towns of Cambodia and Thailand, families were particularly hard hit, struggling to survive amid travel restrictions and economic downturns. To address this crisis, ADB tapped local-based civil society organization Mith Samlanh to implement a project which provided support and assistance to these communities.
Tourism is a foundation of the Asia and the Pacific economy. But once-bustling tourist hotspots now resemble ghost towns as the impact of COVID-19 casts a heavy pall over the industry.
Through the ‘Made in Mon’ branding of local handicraft, women and the poor in Southeastern Myanmar are getting gainful employment opportunities.
ADB through a grant from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction initiated the project by upgrading handicraft production and processing facilities, providing design, manufacturing and marketing advice.
Cambodia has long stretches of pristine beaches. However, tourism is highly concentrated in the area around the temples of Angkor. To spread the economic benefits of tourism, the Asian Development Bank is helping the Ministry of Tourism promote coastal tourism by improving infrastructure and environmental management.
The Lao People’s Democratic Republic has built a new road with help from the Asian Development Bank, linking the tourist town of Luangprabang with the country’s border with Thailand.
Greater Mekong Subregion Secretariat
Regional Cooperation and Operations Coordination Division,
Southeast Asia Department, Asian Development Bank
Address: 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City 1550, Metro Manila, Philippines
Telephone: +63 2 8632 4444 Fax: +63 2 8636 2226
