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Luang Prabang View Hotel supports social activities, Visit Laos Year
by Sisay Vilaysack Even though it has been supporting the local government for many years, the Luang Prabang View Hotel looks forward to continuing to support social activities, including the Visit Laos Year 2018 campaign. The hotel’s management says that although business is important, backing for social activities is also part of their vision, especially in promoting Luang Prabang and Laos as a tourist destination. This month, the hotel is lending its support to the Folksong Festival with Kindness, along with Mr Troy Matusow from Asia One. This brings stakeholders to the table to help make the competition exciting and fruitful for the children of Luang Prabang province. Talking to Vientiane Times recently, the General Manager of the Luang Prabang View Hotel, Mr John Morris Williams, described the ways in which his hotel is involved in the development of tourism. For the past four years the hotel has taken part in FAM familiarisation trips to Luang Prabang by groups from all over the world. “Our next FAM trip will be a joint support from Singapore’s Silk Air and local stakeholders from Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg. In the past they’ve come from JATA Japan, the UK and German destinations,” he said. “In assisting with FAM trips this helps overseas agents and their partners get to understand Laos and Luang Prabang at ground level for themselves. They can then speak and talk about their experiences and hopefully this brings more attention when they do promotions for Laos for their clients,” Mr Williams said. “We attend meetings when requested to discuss and give our point of view to support new avenues that may come up – it’s nice to be able to sit down and give some suggestions,” he added. “At the Luang Prabang View Hotel we diversify our market to ensure we gain the most from all destinations. European markets including the UK and groups from Turkey and the Middle East and, of course, China, South Korea, Japan are hugecontributors for us.” “In previous years, the hotel was responsible for setting up the old stadium at That Luang for the Lao New Year festival, and for the 20th anniversary for setting up and supporting the government with the Elephant Caravan as did many other stakeholders in the town,” he added. When asked about the business opportunities the hotel expected to benefit from through the Visit Laos Year 2018 campaign, Mr Williams said “In truth we may not see much due to the late distribution of information. In my opinion, we should look at this kind of campaign at least four years out after the previous campaign, when everything is still fresh in the mind.” “We have some fabulous attractions as a green destination ready for eco-tourism along with heritage and cultural aspects countrywide that need to be showcased all year round to attract new markets and support the tourism industry as a whole,” he added. Source: Vientiane Times
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Laos in danger of losing jobs and culture as Chinese pour in
Source: Global Times A friend living in Vientiane recently complained of incessant noise next to her house where a Chinese gang was busy constructing a new feeder road. None of the residents had been consulted. The residents are afraid that asphalt will bring speed and accidents. To the slower paced Laotians, the Chinese are unwelcome. “Why can’t Laotians do that work? Who asked if we wanted this road?” one onlooker asked. Good questions. Across Laos, Chinese laborers are building huge malls, dams, factories, golf courses and airports, taking jobs that could easily done by Laotians. Tiny Laos with its population of over 6 million is being made to look increasingly like China. Many Chinese projects dispossess Laotians of their land. The Laotians need the work. There is no question that the Chinese have always been in Laos, but it is the massive increase in numbers, influence and visibility that are causing concern. A few weeks ago, the New York Times drew approbation over a story they did on what was to be the joint China-Laos railway project. Hidden in the story is the threat that Laotians are increasingly naming; colonization by stealth, and with that, a commodification of Lao culture. In the story, the Chinese hotel owner was waiting for the floods of his countrymen into Laos to complete the circle of purchase and profit. The Laotians are increasingly left with nowhere to go. Hidden below the grandiose plans are the subtle corrosion of what it means to be Laotian. China, which guards its own heritage and ancestry, is seemingly happy to destroy that belonging to others. The traditional Lao skirts are being replaced by cheap mass-produced synthetic skirts made by machines in China, marginalizing both the weavers – whose work makes significant contributions to village incomes – and the fabric’s cultural meaning. Some of Vientiane’s best loved colonial buildings are slated for demolition. The National Museum is, perhaps ironically, to be replaced by a 20-story five-star hotel. Chinese projects are operated under a Godfather model. There is no competitive bidding or tendering process. Instead, concessions are given by political insiders for various favors. Read more
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New Pandaw ship for Laos-China cruise to set sail in 2019
Pandaw Cruises has announced the addition of a third vessel to its Lao fleet on the Mekong. Scheduled to Launch in September 2019, the RV Sabei Pandaw is being constructed to meet the demand for cruise line’s popular Laos-China route. Read more…
