More than 40 representatives from the state tourism sector, international organisations and tour operators attended a workshop on coffee-related tourism product development in Champasak Province.
The workshop was organised by the Tourism Development Department under the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, and supported by Related, GIZ.
“This is the first workshop that is being participated in by the tourism sectors of state, private and international organisations to discuss and exchange ideas to create plans for priority activities to improve tourism products,” Deputy Director General of the Tourism Development Department, Phonmaly Inthaphome, said.
“The tourism products firstly have to incorporate tourists’ needs and the tourism products that we already have. The development of coffee-related tourism products on Bolaven plateau covers the three provinces of Champasak, Sekong and Salavan.”
She said daily tourism programmes on the plateau ranged from a half-day to three or four days, adding that programmes will also benefit the three provinces. Workshop participants will continue to discuss and determine the direction of advertising to widely access markets.
Director of the Related, Dr Hartmut Jamus, told the workshop, “There are many stakeholders together here, and I would like to encourage you to use this opportunity to exchange views with other stakeholders on the development of coffee-related tourism products and to learn from stakeholders what the clients or travel agents want.”
Dr Jamus added, “The representatives of the tourism sector should learn which coffee-related tourism products already exist, and talk with representatives of the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism to see how we can cooperate in order to develop coffee-related tourism products on the plateau in the next two years.”
The development of coffee-related tourism products would benefit both the coffee and tourism sectors, he said. They will help coffee stakeholders to generate additional income and to stabilise their income.
“We have Laos-Germany cooperation projects in the south of Laos, and many German people love drinking coffee, but a lot of them don’t know how the coffee gets to the cup, and that they can learn about the process of making coffee or who the people are behind this process,” said Dr Jamus.
“So they are willing to learn about the process of making coffee during their stay in Laos.”
A day before the workshop, the participants visited a coffee plantation on Bolaven plateau in Paksong District of Champasak province for a study tour.
Source: Asia News Network
