The SUSTOUR Laos project on Tuesday organized its third bi-annual implementation management committee meeting at the Laotel Hotel in Vientiane to provide an update on the progress of the project to key stakeholders from the Lao government, project partners and its donor, the European Union.
Plan International Laos is the lead implementer of the SUSTOUR Laos project, a sustainable tourism project co-financed by the European Union and implemented through a partnership between the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MoIC), Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI), and the European Centre for Ecological and Agricultural Tourism (ECEAT).
The project's target areas include 11 districts in Vientiane, Vientiane Province and Luang Prabang. Through an integrated business-led approach, micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the Lao tourism industry are supported to adopt and promote sustainable consumption and production (SCP) practices throughout their supply chains and business processes.
This includes using local suppliers, purchasing environmentally friendly products, conserving natural resources, and applying socially responsible ways of interacting with local communities. Adoption of sustainable practices are certified and awarded by the Travelife certification programme which is recognized internationally as the leading sustainability certification in the tourism industry.
The project triggers market demand for sustainable tourism by marketing Laos as a green destination and raising consumer awareness of sustainable tourism MSMEs among tourists and international travel agents.
With MoIC and LNCCI as the local partners, the project promotes an enabling policy environment to advocate for sustainable tourism, the needs of MSMEs and the recovery of the Lao tourism sector.
Over the last 6 months, the project has implemented a number of activities and achieved key results, notably:
Six Hotels in Laos have received the prestigious Travelife certification award: Maison Dalabua, Maison Souvannaphoum, Souphattra Hotel, Luang Prabang View Hotel, Salana Boutique Hotel and earlier this week, Inthira Vang Vieng.
The project has rolled-out the first phase of the Lasting Laos certification programme, a local sustainability certification based off of Travelife for MSMEs in the food & beverage, handicraft, transportation and cultural excursions sectors. To date, 73 MSMEs have registered in the programme and the project expects to begin awarding sustainable businesses in the coming months.
Training and capacity building has been provided to 193 MSMEs in the tourism industry on key topics including the Travelife and Lasting Laos certification process and criteria, access to finance, sustainable and inclusive community-based tourism, and concepts on sustainable consumption and production practices.
The project continues to implement a number of high visibility promotional activities which aims to raise awareness on sustainable tourism, including the Lasting Laos and Lao-Thiao-Lao marketing campaigns.
As of June 2023, the SUSTOUR Laos project has worked directly with more than 400 MSMEs in the tourism industry, benefiting over 6,000 employees and promoted sustainable Lao MSMEs to nearly 4 million potential domestic and international tourists.
For the remainder of 2023, the SUSTOUR Laos project expects to continue making substantial progress in promoting sustainable tourism in the Lao PDR in cooperation with the Department of Trade Promotion of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and other project partners; the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI) and the European Centre for Ecological and Agricultural Tourism (ECEAT).
Source: Lao News Agency