Minister vows to revitalise tourism in Laos

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/Asia News Network): Tourism authorities have pledged to remove more barriers and improve the tourism business climate next year in a bid to attract more investment from within Laos and from foreign countries.

Laos has huge potential to generate more income from tourism due to the country’s natural beauty and historical and cultural places of interest, officials say.

Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Suanesavanh Vignaket (pic), in a report to the National Assembly on Wednesday, highlighted the success of the Lao Green Travel Zone scheme during the Covid outbreak, which was initiated amid severe challenges to the tourism industry.

She said “We must all work together to overcome the crisis and achieve our goals. All sectors, both public and private, must have a shared responsibility to ensure that we succeed.”

There is also strong potential for making greater use of the natural environment and agriculture in attracting more tourists and fostering the development of sustainable tourism, she added.

The ministry will review plans to promote shared tourism in Laos and evaluated the results of the private sector’s cooperation in this field.

The state and private sectors will jointly run a tourism information campaign in Laos to support the government’s goal to promote tourism and attract more local and overseas investment in the industry, Suanesavanh said.

“We still need more cooperation with private businesses to improve and drive the development of a sustainable tourism industry,” she added.

This cooperation will more widely promote the Laos Thaio Laos (Lao people’s travel scheme) in a bid to revive the tourism industry.

There are plans to diversify tourism-related activities and products while making use of local culture and agricultural potential to promote Lao products. There should be a wide range of Lao products on sale to visitors, including agricultural tourism, good quality souvenirs, and traditional Lao food, Suanesavanh said.

The ministry will work with provincial Information, Culture and Tourism Departments and businesses to compile information on the number of businesses and workers in the tourism sector that have been affected by the Covid-19 outbreak, as part of efforts to revitalise the industry.

In addition, the ministry pledged to improve the quality of the tourism sector and pursue infrastructure development being carried out to develop tourism in Luang Prabang, Champassak and Vientiane provinces.

In 2021, Laos suffered severe economic hardship when income from tourism plummeted as the Covid pandemic took hold, dealing a massive blow to investment and service businesses, which are the country’s main sources of revenue.

Some 30 per cent of tourism-related businesses closed because of lockdowns and travel restrictions imposed during the pandemic, mainly tour companies, restaurants, hotels and guesthouses.