-
✴︎
MICE Ready to Feast in Laos
The Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry launches LAOFOOD 2018 at a ceremony held on 14 December, at the Best Western Vientiane. By Bernie Rosenbloom The international hospitality trade’s spotlight will focus on the inaugural LAOFOOD 2018 Exhibition, being held at the National Convention Centre in Vientiane on 7-9 June, when global and local hospitality and F&B suppliers will present their latest products to regional hotels, restaurants, and distributors. The event – co-hosted by the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI) and Lao Hotel and Restaurant Association (LHRA) – aims to plant Laos on the Asia-Pacific MICE map. LAOFOOD 2018 will also feature the Lao Hospitality & Culinary Competitions and The Lao Culinary Showcase to raise awareness in local dishes, drinks, and service quality. “These are not normal competitions and showcases,” said Oudet Souvannavong, President of the LNCCI and LHRA. “It’s more like a minority and Lao food expo to raise awareness in local foods,” he said. Mr. Souvannavong explained, “For example, we’ll have Hmong and Khmu food demonstrations alongside ethnic cultural shows,” adding that the expo will also present regional variations of Lao food. “Take the preparation and taste of laap, a popular native dish…it varies from north to south,” he noted. LAOFOOD 2018 will also give the traditional booth format a twist. “Suppliers are invited to come and give talks…not just to showcase their products and services, but to explain and demonstrate them,” said Andrew Siou, Director of the expo’s organiser AMB Taurus Events Group, who sees promise in Laos as a MICE destination. “You don’t want the trade to skip Laos, and this event presents an excellent opportunity to enter the Asian MICE circuit,” he pointed out. “Events like this bring money into Laos. Instead of Lao hotels and suppliers going to other countries, they come here and bring money. It increases tourism from all over – Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong – plus LAOFOOD 2018 coincides with Visit Laos Year.” Mr. Souvannavong pointed out that hospitality entrepreneurs in Luang Prabang are very knowledgeable and the LNCCI and LHRA would like to host an event there. Mr Siou added that the June date is perfect for a non-seasonal MICE event as hotel rooms are readily available, hospitality decision makers have more open schedules, and rain is not an issue. Peter Semone, Managing Partner, Destination Human Capital, suggested the Lao hospitality industry could use LAOFOOD 2018 to introduce students to the trade. “The hospitality and culinary competitions would enhance the knowledge of young people considering careers in the service industry.” Categories for the Lao Hospitality & Culinary Competitions include barista, cake making, pastry challenge, fruit & vegetable carving, bartending, table setting, and bed decoration. The Lao Culinary Showcase aims to promote Lao cuisine, and will feature cooking demonstrations by celebrity chefs. The showcase will also highlight Lao food from different provinces. International exhibitors at LAOFOOD 2018 will be offering products and equipment covering the entire food and drink spectrum. Lao exhibitors are expected to showcase fresh produce, organic food, coffee and other beverages, meat and poultry, and dairy products. The event expects to attract thousands of buyers from Southeast Asia and other Asia-Pacific markets.
-
✴︎
Handling Luang Prabang with Care
As Luang Prabang grows as a tourist destination, it faces many challenges in remaining a green destination. Some have termed the current situation in Luang Prabang as “fragile”. In 2016, the Lao German Development Cooperation Project (GIZ) began implementing the “Handle with Care” project, funded by the European Union’s Switch Asia Programme. The project has reached the halfway mark, and We Are Lao wanted to know how the project is proceeding. The Handle with Care team granted this exclusive interview to update the public on the project. What are the specific objectives of the Handle with Care project, and why is this necessary? The specific objectives is to improve the sustainable consumption and production of tourism (SCP) in the Luang Prabang tourism industry, i.e. switch to a more sustainable and green way of consuming and providing tourism and hospitality goods and services. We believe this project is necessary and important, because Luang Prabang is quite a fragile destination in light of increasing pressures from emerging mass tourism on culture and the environment. With the exemplary solutions the Luang Prabang Handle with Care project is putting on the agenda, we can contribute to safeguarding the destination and making sure emerging mass tourism does not destroy the uniqueness of the heritage town. Who is funding it and who is involved in implementing it? The Luang Prabang Handle with Care project is funded by the European Union – Switch Asia Programme. This is a special regional fund encouraging promotion of sustainable consumption and production in Asia. The Lao German Development Cooperation project on Regional Economic Integration of Lao PDR into the ASEAN, Trade and Entrepreneurship Development (RELATED) submitted a project proposal with intention to encourage and apply sustainable practices in the tourism sector in Luang Prabang. The Luang Prabang Handle with Care Project is thus implemented by GIZ for the EU. This funding line supports switching from a regular practices of consumption and production to a much sustainable practices, or Green Growth economic approach. This includes supporting approaches to circular economy, that produces less waste, uses less energy and has a lower carbon footprint. It also includes social issues of fair work conditions and protecting local cultures. When was the project launched, and what has it accomplished to date? The project has been launched in May 2016. The first half of the project focused on issues that have been important for Lao PDR as it chaired the ASEAN in 2016. ASEAN Standards are a priority for the Ministry of Information Culture and Tourism. 5 ASEAN standards have been conceptualised, key trainings held, and the local awareness towards implementation has been supported. Based on the support of the project, Luang Prabang is preparing to apply for the ASEAN Clean Tourist City Standard and the ASEAN Sustainable Tourism Awards in the upcoming ASEAN Tourism Forum in 2018. The project in its effort to lay the foundation for promoting sustainable tourism products has supported the institutionalisation of tourism promotion, esp. with the ITB Asia in 2016 and 2017. The unique representation of Laos as a sustainable tourism destination has gained popularity. In the last third of implementation we have thoroughly planned to deliver excellent results for our partners. In 2017 we switched to the more local initiatives, e.g. by setting up our complete team in Luang Prabang from Q1/2017. This includes supporting the private sector in developing plastic free production of tourism products or the Made in Luang Prabang label with the Handicraft Association among other SCP measures. We will also be actively supporting the Visit Laos 2018 Year. Can you give an overview of the MOU, and how does this affect the project? For our local, mainly Luang Prabang specific results, i.e. capacity building and local sustainable product development, we have been asked by the Luang Prabang authorities to specifically register as a provincial project under provincial supervision. This has now been mostly done, with only some technical issues regarding project activity planning according to the local government guidelines still outstanding. Once this is fully completed we can officially intensify our implementation with local government partners, which require formal consent to officially work with us on specifically local level activities. What are the project’s plans moving ahead? The last couple months we implemented (on a smaller scale) some different approaches and based on that experience have now decided in what way we are continue moving forward. We are therefore adding more boots on the ground with 2 more staff and – for the second and final half of the project – intensify the implementation of our local level environmental management and SCP measures together with our government partners from DICT, Heritage Office and UDAA, and for the benefit of local SMEs in the tourism and hospitality sector as long as they are organized in the Chamber of Commerce, LUTA and LHRA. When does the project end and is there an exit strategy, hand over, or it just ends? The project is scheduled to end in 4/2019. We have continued some initiatives from other projects, such as the Made in Luang Prabang label, and expect that other projects from GIZ or other donors will continue some of our work as well. The GIZ RELATED project will also end then, and a follow-up project will certainly consider lessons learnt from the Luang Prabang Handle with Care project. We will certainly share our learnings about successful interventions within and outside of GIZ and the EU – from local souvenir production, to organic waste management for small local restaurants to supporting DMCs in going plastic free, and then keep that up the agenda for other donors to continue, expand or deepen our approaches. Currently it is too early to tell how this continuation strategy will exactly look like, and we will keep you informed. Is there anything you would like to add? Luang Prabang is currently preparing for more and more mass tourism, especially increased regional integration (HK Express, train, new bus routes, etc.). The project therefore came at the right time to put environmental management, Green Tourism Economy and questions of destination-wide sustainability on the agenda. We hope that we could, can and will contribute significantly with selected SCP measures to keep Luang Prabang a cultural and environmentally sustainable destination.
-
✴︎
31 May MTF Isights Susie Rachael
MTF Insights: Susie Martin & Rachel O’Shea @ Laos Buffalo Dairy Susie is the CEO and Rachel is the Chef of the Laos Buffalo Dairy, a sustainable venture with a unique business plan. This will be their first MTF, having heard about event in March from John Williams of Luang Prabang View, who directed them to the MIST application process. Susie and Rachel first learned of the MTCO through the monthly Lanith Hospitality Managers’ Rendezvous. Wat opportunities do you see for your business, and Luang Prabang, in hosting the MTF? Beyond the obviously beneficial platform the MTF provides for tourism professionals to visit various venues and tourist attractions in Luang Prabang, the theme of this year’s MTF, “Prosper with Purpose” (with) sustainable tourism, is extremely relevant for a UNESCO site such as Luang Prabang, where the local community involvement and cultural heritage of the town are the main draw-cards for tourism. Laos Buffalo Dairy, located on the road to Kuang Si Waterfalls, aims to “prosper” by providing quality cheeses made from buffalo milk to the various hotels and restaurants in Luang Prabang and Laos. Our “purpose” is a unique business model where the farmers own the buffalo and rent them to the dairy, (thus) earning a new income stream and getting healthier buffalo in the process. With the MTF focusing on sustainable tourism and hopefully driving tourist revenue, this will help encourage more people to see the benefits of sustainable business models that incorporate the local community. What challenges do you see for Luang Prabang in hosting a large event such as the MTF? Some challenges likely to be faced in hosting the MTF will be a lack of co-ordinated transport and information infrastructure. Larger groups may face challenges in moving between venues due to traffic congestion and limited parking. Few convenient information centres and minimal information available online are areas that could be improved for future events. MTF replies: I think during low season, the traffic problem should not be too big of an issue, but for Luang Prabang to compete going forward in tourism, there should be solutions to an ever-growing traffic problem. But, thank God that it is not, and never will be, as bad as Bangkok when it comes to congestion.
