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Get Crafty with OPT: Traditional, Eco-friendly Kathong Class
Make your own kathong with an artisan guide and learn the symbolism and history of the Festival of Lights with Ock Pop Tok in Luang Prabang. In commemoration of the upcoming Festival of Lights, Ock Pop Tok will offer kathong-making classes on Friday, 14 October, from 10:00 to 16:00 for LAK40,000 per person. The kathong is an offering made with pandan and banana leaves, and banana stalks, and decorated with flowers and candles. During the Festival of Lights, kathongs are released into the Mekong River, signifying letting go, aspirations for new beginnings, and paying respect to the Naga, or water spirit. Classes are held at Ock Pop Tok’s Living Crafts Centre, on the Mekong River. Free shuttles from OPT’s shops in town. Don’t forget Shop Talk series by Ock Pop Tok, a conversational storytelling experience that connects visitors with the stories preserved in Lao textiles. Led by OPT staff and chief storytellers, Moonoy and Khaimoukda, the Shop Talk series begins with a look at the sinh, the traditional skirts worn by Lao women. Shop Talk is held every Friday at 16:00 at the Heritage Collection Shop in town, lasts about 30 minutes, and is free of charge. If you are not in town for Shop Talk, follow the Sinh City story on Ock Pop Tok’s Instagram. Lao Sinh Promotion Through November 2019, receive 10% off all sinhs at all Ock Pop Tok shop locations. You’ll also get 15% off when you make a purchase during Shop Talk by Ock Pop Tok, held every Friday at 16:00 at Heritage Collection Shop. Visit Ock Pop Tok’s website at www.ockpoptok.com http://www.ockpoptok.com
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Sao Sinh Launches “Rent and Roam” Clothes in Luang Prabang
Sao Sinh has launched a “Rent and Roam” clothing service for tourists, who want to experience Luang Prabang while wearing a traditional sinh, the tubular skirt worn by Lao women. “With Sao Sinh, we want to help you appreciate the traditional sinh of Laos and experience Luang Prabang wearing the country’s beautiful textiles,” said Kristy Best, Director, Sales & Marketing for Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre (TAEC). “Wearing traditional clothing is respected by local people, particularly when visiting temples, and it helps to keep alive the feeling of Luang Prabang’s history and heritage.” “Sinh” is the traditional skirt of Laos, and “Sao” means “to rent” or “young woman”. “But you don’t have to be young woman to rent our sinh or clothing,” said Ms Best. “We want everyone and anyone – families, friends, children, and grandparents – to be able to experience the beauty and heritage of Lao traditional clothing.” The sinh originated from the Tai ethnic groups such as theTai Lao, Tao Dam, and Tai Lue. The traditional tubular skirts come in countless colours, styles, and patterns, usually representing the region or community where the skirt was made. Simple cotton or synthetic cloth sinhs are worn every day, while silk sinhs are donned for parties, weddings, and official functions. Sinhs are worn by the little girls to go to school, and by grandmothers, who cradle their grandchildren in the skirts while perched on a stool. “Skilled weavers may spend weeks on (creating) a special silk tapestry-technique sinh, which will be gifted to a new daughter-in-law, or just a few days, on a plain-patterned skirt that will be used day-to-day,” said Ms Best. “Sinhs, like people, have heads, bodies, and feet, and could never be worn upside-down.” For more information and pricing for Rent and Roam sinhs, visit Sao Sinh’s Facebook page.
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Second Lao Sustainable Tourism Solutions Expo Draws Huge Crowd
Hundreds of visitors flocked to the second Sustainable Tourism Solutions Expo (STSE) this past weekend, marking a new commitment to sustainability within the tourism and hospitality industries. The two-day event held at the Crowne Plaza Vientiane, opened on the morning of 27 September 2019 with a ceremony presided over by Professor Dr. Bosengkham Vongdala, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Ounethouang Khaophanh, Vice Minister in charge of Tourism at the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Saynakhone Inthavong, Vice Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, as well as Mr. Jens Lütkenherm, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Lao PDR. “I firmly believe that this exhibition will promote the general development of tourism in the Lao PDR, especially in Vientiane Capital, on a green and sustainable path of development,” said Dr. Vongdala in his opening remarks. “It will also promote the creation of Vientiane Capital as a quality tourism destination that will become an ASEAN Clean Tourist City in the future.” The STSE has proven itself to be the region’s leading specialized fair for the tourism industry to celebrate, explore, and exhibit the latest trends, insights, and technology in sustainable tourism and hospitality practices. This year, in handmade bamboo booths, fifty-four exhibitors from Laos and the Mekong region showcased their products, services, and initiatives over the course of event, which was free to attend. These companies represented several categories relevant to the theme at hand: eco-friendly hotel supplies, handicrafts, organic food, initiatives and projects, as well as responsible tours and accommodation. Addressing a large crowd of business owners and managers, sustainability experts, as well as Lao government officials, the German ambassador remarked during the opening ceremony that “The tourism sector is becoming ever more important for the economy of Lao PDR. Today, it already ranks third among the export industries in this country. The Lao tourism sector has great potential to further grow and provide many more qualified jobs. In order to align the tourism industry with the overall green growth strategy, sustainable tourism solutions play a crucial role in the development of the sector.” Feedback collected from exhibitors and visitors showed that the event was incredibly fruitful on both sides, with hundreds of new business contacts made, supplier contracts signed, and an immeasurable amount of information exchanged. The second Sustainable Tourism Solutions Expo was organized by the Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism, with support from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Lao Association of Travel Agents (LATA), the Lao Hotel and Restaurant Association (LHRA), the Small and Medium Enterprises Service Centre (SSC) operated by the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Department of Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion (Ministry of Industry and Commerce) and the Regional Economic Integration of Laos into ASEAN – Trade and Entrepreneurship Development (RELATED) Project of the German Development Cooperation. Visit the STSE Facebook FB page for highlights.
