Mason Florence, Executive Director, Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO)

A native New Yorker, Mason Florence spent 12 years in Japan as a correspondent for The Japan Times newspaper and a travel guide book author for Lonely Planet publications (titles include Japan, Kyoto, Hiking in Japan, Vietnam, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Southeast Asia, etc.) before moving to Thailand in 2002. As founder of Talisman Media Group he created publications including Bangkok 101 magazine (www.bangkok101.com) and BAM!, the Bangkok Art Map (www.bangkokartmap.com). Since 2008 Mason has been executive director of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (www.mekongtoursim.org), an intergovernmental body uniting the national tourism organizations (NTOs) of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) and working to promote the six countries along the Mekong River as a single travel destination (www.exploremekong.org).