Sustainable Tourism

Sustainable Tourism in Lao PDR

Tourism in Lao PDR

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Lao PDR, also known as Laos, is located in Southeast Asia surrounded by neighbouring Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. Although being land-locked, the country is prospered with the valleys of the Mekong River, which supports its main economy of agriculture. Tourism also plays a significant part in the economy of Laos. The country’s rich natural and cultural resources have been the main focus for tourism. In 2004 56 per cent of the 1,417 international visitors surveyed at Wattay International Airport claimed to have been drawn to Laos mainly by its culture, 39 per cent by its temples and monuments, 54 per cent by its natural beauty and 23 per cent by its ethnic minorities (www.culturalprofiles.net). The growth of tourism in Laos has raised awareness of the Lao National Tourism Association (LNTA) to ensure proper management for sustainable tourism through eco-tourism. The LNTA, with the advice of SNV Netherlands Development Organization, devised the National Ecotourism Strategy and Action plan 2004-2010. It is an eco-tourism development framework to support various planning and managing activities such as training, promotions, environmental protection, socio-economic development and cultural heritage protection.

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• Decrease environmental and cultural impacts.

• Increase awareness in the importance of ethnic groups and biological diversity.

• Promote responsible business practices, which cooperate closely with local authorities and the local people to support poverty alleviation and deliver conservation benefits.

• Provide a source of income to conserve, sustain and manage the Lao protected area network and cultural heritage sites.

• Emphasize the need for tourism zoning and management plans for sites that will...