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Skills for Tourism Project exceeds expectations for 2020 and sets goals for 2021
The Skills for Tourism Project (LAO/029) Steering Committee convened in Vientiane Capital on 10 December to review achievements and progress made to date and to present its goals for the upcoming year. The meeting was co-chaired by Mr. Nouphanh Outsa, Director General of the Technical and Vocational Education Department of the Ministry of Education and Sports, Mr. Christian Engler, Deputy Director of Cooperation of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and Mr. Nicolas Tasch, Attaché of the Luxembourg Embassy. In his opening remarks, Mr. Nouphanh Outsa stated that ‘although the tourism sector has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 global pandemic in 2020, attracting Lao youth to enrol in technical vocational education and to pursue a career in tourism remains important in 2021 for the economic recovery of the country’. To showcase the possibilities that technical vocational education and the tourism industry offer, the Skills for Tourism Project launched a nationwide outreach campaign in 2020 under the theme “Hosts of Laos”. The project is well on track for achieving its objectives and has adapted to the uncertain COVID-19 landscape to strengthen the tourism and hospitality sector and pave the way to recovery during the project’s final year of implementation in 2021. In his remarks, Mr. Christian Engler highlighted the ability of the project to adjust in the face of COVID-19 and stressed that Switzerland is ‘looking forward to further support the industry through technical vocational education and skills development’. Since the project’s inception in 2016, more than 7,300 people have participated in project-supported courses tourism and hospitality. An important focus of the project is to ensure inclusion of people from disadvantaged backgrounds in tourism and hospitality training programmes. The project’s objective is for graduates of tourism and hospitality to find employment. To date, 72% of graduates traced have been able to find jobs or pursue further studies. Employment rates have however been negatively impacted by COVID-19 in the year 2020. Support to an industry battered by the pandemic also comes in the form of upskilling those who are still employed in the sector and through a novel hygiene programme for the Lao tourism and hospitality sector that will be deployed in 2021. The Skills for Tourism Project has also provided financial support for the domestic tourism marketing campaign Lao Thiao Lao led by the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI). As part of its efforts to enhance the quality of vocational education, the Skills for Tourism Project completed the construction of a tourism and hospitality practical training facility –The Academy Training Hotel and Restaurant – which was inaugurated in Vang Vieng in November 2020. In his remarks Mr Nicolas Tasch stated that ‘this new training facility further showcases every stakeholder’s resolve to equip Lao youth with labour-market relevant skills and to strengthen professional practices worthy of an ASEAN travel destination’. The Skills for Tourism Project (LAO/029) is co-financed by the Governments of Lao PDR, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Switzerland, and implemented by the Ministry of Education and Sports of Lao PDR and LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency. The Skills for Tourism Project’s total budget is EUR 15 million, with nearly EUR 3 million programmed for its final year of implementation in 2021. Source: LuxDev Skills for Tourism Project (LAO/029)
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Laos Uncovers 14 New Covid-19 Cases in One Day: Can this be Good News?
By Bernie Rosenbloom On 23 November, The Lao National Taskforce for Covid-19 Prevention and Control confirmed 14 new coronavirus cases, by far the country’s largest one-day tally, and bringing the total to 39. The 14 cases include a Lao teen and 13 foreigners on charter flights from India and Russia, and who tested negative upon arrival on 20 November, at Vientiane’s Wattay Airport. The 14 passengers then entered quarantine, where they subsequently tested positive. So how can this be good news for the Lao travel trade? The procedures in place for Covid-19 prevention appear to be working. These measures date back a few years, when the WHO started working with the Lao government to develop pandemic guidelines and operating procedures at all the country’s points of entry (PoE). Covid-19 put these to the test. Photo credit: WHO/Irene Tan The country had started boosting its battle against the virus in January, when the newly formed National Covid-19 Task Force tightened screening at immigration checkpoints, transportation centres, and hospitals, and put quarantine measures in place. Laos temporarily suspended tourist visas at checkpoints with China on 2 February, and began quarantining Chinese visitors. However, the pandemic had already impacted the Lao travel trade. Cancellations mounted. Hotels, restaurants, and tour operators began furloughing staff. The hammer started to drop on 18 March, when the government ceased issuing tourist visas. It finally hit the gavel on 25 March, when Laos confirmed its first two Covid-19 cases. The government announced Laos would enter a full lockdown on 1 April. They closed all border checkpoints, and halted all flights. Photo credit: WHO/Irene Tan Inside the country, officials implemented strict measures. “Except for essential” prefixed everything outside a home’s front door: businesses, purchases, workers, medical care…even inter-provincial travel. Hand sanitizer and facemasks became de rigueur. The edict would be reviewed in time Lao New Year that started 13 April. By then, the country tallied 19 cases, all of which were traced to international travel, and the number of new cases had flat-lined. Meanwhile, the tourism and hospitality sector was bleeding out. Some businesses quietly closed their doors. Others tippy-toed towards an uncertain future, seeking ways to adapt to a “new normal”. Down Vientiane During the Lockdown Idled staff went home to their villages, and working management took pay cuts, but there was cause for optimism. After a month without a new Covid-19 case, the government loosened restrictions. Businesses reopened and domestic travel realized an uptick. Charter flights started bringing in a trickle of “essential” visitors and returning Laotians. After more than three months without a new case, the PoE pandemic procedures flagged one on 25 July, two on 16 August, and three individual cases through 16 November. The total had reached 25, and the first 24 recovered. Everything seemed under control. Then came the muffled 20-November bombshell. The story barely lasted a news cycle, and wasn’t trending on top of Lao social media. Still, the government suspended charter flights from virus-hit countries until 31 December. So, it’s still all good, right? Yes, on the face of it. Immigration and quarantine procedures are proving to be a good filter for preventing Covid-19 from entering Laos. According to UN statistics, the country currently ranks third in the world for containing the virus, based on the population’s cases per million. On the other hand, a similar metric shows Laos in the lowest five percentile for testing. Photo credit: WHO/Irene Tan Medical care raises more questions. Does Laos have the capacity to deal with a sudden surge of a few hundred cases…a few thousand? What if Covid-19 does creep into Laos, and its tentacles spread throughout the nation? Holes are already starting to appear at designated quarantine hotels…if the arrival actually goes there. The government has discovered discrepancies between booking and check-in numbers, and has started cracking down. Other lapses have been reported, such as quarantined guests coming to the hotel lobby and meeting visitors. This writer had that experience in late October. Again, officials are stepping in. In fact, all hotels in Laos are on their own when it comes to Covid clean and safe procedures. Large chain properties such as Crowne Plaza and Accor, are following solid corporate policies. Standalone accommodations are integrating standard Covid-19 prevention procedures into their own operations. Hoteliers report that staff are embracing their new tasks. Riverside Boutique Resort, Vang Vieng But, what about furloughed workers and people enrolled in, or about to graduate from, tourism and hospitality training and education programmes? Time away from a job risks eroding their newly learned skillset, let alone learning skills needed for the new normal. And, what happens when guests step outside the hotel? Travellers now insist that a destination be Covid clean and safe. However, hand sanitizer and masks are no longer part of daily life. After leaving the airport, social distancing markers become rare. Many eating and drinking establishments have relaxed their Covid-19 policies. Has Laos put its guard down, and become cocooned in a sense of security behind the front lines? To be sure, the country’s travel trade is waiting patiently for the sun to come up. Most are sitting on plans for a step-by-step recovery that ensure a clean and safe stay. Some are providing refresher training for dormant staff. Citizens will likely play ball if asked to put masks back on and sanitize their hands. It’s no secret that Laos depends on its neighbours to visit, and act as regional and global hubs for arrivals. However, Laos offers travellers what they say they want. Surveys consistently show that more than 50% put a preference on avoiding crowded destinations and taking an experiential outdoor/adventure trip than they did before the pandemic. More than half want to go to a destination where they can relax, and prefer a place where they can support local businesses. Welcome to Laos. However, communications will be key in attracting tourists, as two-thirds say they would research their next trip more than before the Covid-19 outbreak. So, can the sudden one-day spike possibly be good news? Reuters just rang worldwide media alarm bells, when on 30 November, Vietnam recorded a single case, and traced it to an arrival from Japan. What part does fear play? Is cautious optimism and level headedness a better path? Only time will tell, and for the Lao travel trade, the clock continues to tick.
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‘The Academy Training Hotel and Restaurant’ opens its doors in Vang Vieng
During a ceremony on 2 November 2020, the Vientiane Province Technical College inaugurated a new tourism and hospitality practical training facility built at its Vang Vieng campus. The facility, named The Academy Training Hotel and Restaurant, will provide tourism and hospitality students and the teachers with a modern training environment to hone practical skills. (From left to right) Luxembourg Embassy Charge d’Affaires, Mr Sam Schreiner, Minister of Education and Sports, Mme Sengdeuane Lachanthaboune and Deputy Director of Cooperation from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Mr Christian Engler, officially inaugurated the Academy Training Hotel and Restaurant on 02 November. The Academy Training Hotel and Restaurant is a multi-purpose building offering six guestrooms and a 32-seat restaurant, with services provided by tourism and hospitality students. The five hundred thousand Euro project broke ground in June 2019 and took twelve months to complete. The Skills for Tourism Project is also assisting the Vientiane Province Technical College to fit out and establish the operational systems needed to run the practical training facility as well as to build the management capacity to run the facility in a sustainable manner. Minister of Education and Sports, Mme Sengdeuane Lachanthaboune highlighted the “greater knowledge, skills, professional attitude and employability” students will gain at the new practical training facility. The opening of the new training facility occurs at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic is severely impacting Vang Vieng, a popular tourism destination in Lao PDR. Director General of the Technical Vocational Education Department of the Ministry of Education and Sports, Mr Nouphan Outsa, noted, “Although the sector has been hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis, Lao PDR will continue to aim for excellence in the provision of vocational and technical education. This training facility highlights that resolve.” Stressing the tourism sector’s proven ability to recover from adversity, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Luxembourg Sam Schreiner reiterated that the donors’ shared vision behind the practical training facility remains unchanged: “improved access to work-relevant education, highly sought-after graduates and standards on par with those expected of an attractive ASEAN travel destination.” Christian Engler, Deputy Director of Cooperation and Head of Employment and Skills Domain, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, commented: “The Academy Training Hotel and Restaurant represents an important milestone illustrating the fruitful and lasting collaboration between Lao PDR, the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg and Switzerland, which will ultimately facilitate the resurgence of a deeply impacted but resilient tourism and hospitality sector.” As part of her remarks at the opening ceremony, Minister of Education and Sports, Mme Sengdeuane Lachanthaboune, added that “By giving students exposure to a real service environment at the Academy Training Hotel and Restaurant, Vientiane Province Technical College will improve the quality of education, as well as ensure that graduates of tourism and hospitality courses acquire the knowledge and skills demanded by the industry”. The establishment of the training facility builds on the Skills for Tourism Project’s aim of improving training facilities and standards of technical vocational colleges in Lao PDR. The Vientiane Province Technical College is currently offering two-year programmes in tourism and hospitality that lead to a Diploma in Restaurant Operations or a Diploma in Travel and Tourism. There are over 130 students who enrolled in the academic year 2019, with a similar amount expected to enrol in 2020. The college also offers shorter courses in tourism and hospitality that lead to C1 accreditation. Once in operations, The Academy Training Hotel and Restaurant expects to welcome Vang Vieng locals and tourists taking advantage of the Lao Thiao Lao domestic tourism marketing campaign and the soon to be inaugurated expressway. The construction and fitting out of the Academy Training Hotel and Restaurant are co-financed by the Governments of Lao PDR, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Switzerland, and implemented by the Ministry of Education and Sports of Lao PDR and the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency (LuxDev).
