Lao tourism eyes bright future under new leadership

VIENTIANE – The Lao tourism environment looks set to get a boost under the leadership of Mr Inthy Danesavanh, who has been elected as President of the Lao Tourism Association for a three year term.

Mr Inthy is a veteran of the tourism industry and is well known after decades of active participation in the business.

He specialises in eco-tourism and has a reputation for innovative approaches and promoting sustainable tourism practices.

As the founder and managing director of Green Discovery Laos, one of the country’s foremost eco-tourism companies, Mr Inthy has played a pivotal role in showcasing Laos’ natural beauty and cultural heritage to visitors from around the world.

In his new role, Mr Inthy said the Lao Tourism Association will prioritise tourism promotion and address the obstacles currently hindering the growth of the industry.

He added that the association had pushed for the establishment of the Tourism Marketing Promotion Chamber for several years. It was approved by then Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith at the Lao Business Forum, but its implementation has been delayed due to legal considerations and it is expected to be adopted this month.

The Tourism Marketing Promotion Chamber will focus on the marketing of tourism in Laos. The chamber will be a join organisation between the government and privately owned tourism businesses.

“We want to stress that the strength of the Tourism Marketing Promotion Chamber will lie in specialisation, which requires professional expertise to ensure its success,” he said.

Mr Inthy added that another key priority will be addressing unresolved issues that impede tourism growth and deter people from visiting Laos.

“We would like to have regular cooperation with the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism and other government bodies to discuss the challenges we face and seek solutions, because tourism is related to many sectors of government,” he said.

As an example of the challenges currently faced by tourism operators, he pointed out the inefficiencies of the current tourist declaration process.

“The tourist declaration process involves a lot of paperwork. It takes a long time and is a costly exercise. Staff must visit related government offices to get documents approved and signed, which makes things very inconvenient for tourism operators. We want to see this process done digitally. This needs to happen otherwise we will lose a big opportunity,” Mr Inthy said.

He also stressed the importance of encouraging Lao Tourism Association member companies to engage with regional and international tourism partners to promote Laos’ tourism potential.

Highlighting Laos’ strengths, Mr Inthy emphasised the country’s abundant natural resources, with over 80 percent of the terrain being mountainous and 25 national protected areas showcasing diverse natural wonders. “This is the unique point and strength of Laos. Another potential attraction is the unique of Lao people.”

“Nature and people are Laos’ strong points,” he said, adding that effective management and protection of these resources is crucial to preserving Laos’ unique appeal.

“Management is important because if we don’t have good management and allow these to be spoiled, then we will lose the things that make Laos special and most appeal to visitors. Luang Prabang is a good example of good management.”

“With regard to nature-based tourist attractions, if we don’t have strong management and protection, then one day the richness of these places will fade and we won’t have any special attractions.”

“It is the role of the government to manage this,” he added.

A shortage of labour is a problem faced by many businesses in Laos as a large number of young people are leaving the country to look for work elsewhere, because of the higher wages they can earn.

“I believe that tourism is the solution to the mass exodus of workers because tourist-related businesses earn foreign currency, so they could offer competitive salaries to their staff. In my business we retain staff because we pay them competitively.”

The government needs to invest more in tourism, in the fields of infrastructure, labour capacity improvement, marketing, and effective management of the country’s tourism resources, he added.

“Don’t forget that we are competing with neighbouring countries that are investing a lot more in tourism, especially in marketing. But Laos seems to be investing less in this important area.”

The government has recently begun offering free tourist visas for the citizens of some countries, which is a good start, he said. He also advised offering special visas for digital nomads as well as retirement visas for foreigners wanting a peaceful place to retire, as some other countries are doing.

Mr Inthy added “The future trend for Lao tourism is good. The countries on our borders have large populations, especially Thailand, China and Vietnam, and there are large numbers of tourists coming to these countries. If they are nearby, we can communicate with them to make our particular attractions known, and if they like what we offer they will be pleased to pay a bit more.”

“This is a potential market; we just need to invest more, improve the quality of our marketing and ensure we have good management.”