28 April 2017
Luang Prabang Cleans Up Its Act
By Bernie Rosenbloom
Tourists expect to walk into a sepia-toned 19th-century postcard when visiting Luang Prabang. Sitting on the Mekong banks and sipping cocktails as a breeze flutters tree leaves. Ancient golden-topped temples peeking above French colonial buildings. Empty plastic bottles, discarded cardboard boxes, chunks of Styrofoam and plastic bags scattered along the rivers and roads.
Luang Prabang must keep a constant vigil over trash. An ongoing storm of litter rains down on a community that takes great pride in their UNESCO World Heritage city. An occasional showing of troops to pick up rubbish isn’t sustainable. Luang Prabang knows they need a dedicated effort to keep the city clean and green…and they have one…the “Luang Prabang Clean Up.”
“The cleaning of Luang Prabang began as a private initiative in 2014, with a few businesses volunteering to take on the responsibility,” explained Chansamai “Mai” Rattanasuvannaphon, the Green School Project Manager at the Urban Development and Administration Authority (UDAA).
On 28 March 2015, the Lao Education Opportunity Trust (LEOT), under the UDAA, launched the first official monthly Luang Prabang Clean Up. Hotels and restaurants such as the Belmond La Résidence Phou Vao, Maison Souvannaphoum, and Blue Lagoon were among the 2014 private-sector brigade, who signed up.
Somsack Sengta, owner of the Blue Lagoon restaurant, emerged as a Team Leader for the Luang Prabang Clean Up, and has built solid support from local enterprises. “In the beginning, the clean-up was voluntary with a couple of business involved, and though our participation is growing, it remains voluntary.”
Mr Sengta noted that 15-20 organizations, including travel-related businesses, government offices, and schools now join in the clean ups, generally held on the last Saturday of each month. “I have found that many young people are really motivated in being a part of the Luang Prabang Clean Up. They are a great example for the young generation.”
The Luang Prabang Clean Up Crew assembled again at 07:00 on 31 March 2017, with 84 pairs of hands ready to clean the side of the road from Hotel De Lyon to the Nam Khan River Bridge on way to the airport. Among the group were staff and management from hotels, travel agents, LEOT, the Red Cross, and UDAA, which brought their dump truck. The task took two hours.
Trails of Indochina, a frequent participant, supports similar initiatives at the destinations on their itineraries. “It is our responsibility to show our commitment to responsible tourism to our guests,” said
Michael Roehrig, Trails of Indochina General Manager in Laos. He views Luang Prabang as more than a UNESCO site. “Luang Prabang is an awarded city…it has been voted ‘Best City’ by readers of the UK’s Wanderlust travel magazine seven times between 2006 and 2015.”
Mr Roehrig stressed that in spite of all the awards, “What is most important now is that the town is applying for the ASEAN Clean Tourist City Standard (ACTCS) in early 2018.” He noted Luang Prabang has always been the highlight for tourists coming to Laos, “and the fact that it is awarded, clean, and well taken care of will certainly push the number of tourist arrivals higher.”
Amantaka General Manager Donald Wong emphasised the UNESCO-listed city, with its well-preserved architecture and cultural heritage, needs to “safeguard its ongoing appeal to tourists, (so) it’s important to keep the town clean, enabling visitors to enjoy the culture, heritage and ambiance at its best… The Luang Prabang Clean Up is important because it helps us showcase the city to visitors in its best possible light.”
This was Mr Wong’s first Luang Prabang Clean Up since he took the helm at the Amantaka last October, though he’s participated in similar initiatives at other destinations. “Now, I am here, I intend to continue to show ongoing support and solidarity amongst other hoteliers in Luang Prabang to protect our town.”
Likewise, Luang Prabang View General Manager John Morris Williams signed the hotel on when he took charge more than three years ago. Ten of his staff pitched in on the 31 March clean up. “We’ve participated every month since I have been here, and we do our own clean up every week,” he said. “It’s our obligation…our social responsibility…as a member of the community that puts heads in our beds.”
Mr Williams also pointed out, “Tourism is our bread and butter and people coming to a clean city and surroundings gives them a feel of being taken care of. Tourists like a clean destination, and if they feel it’s well looked after, they like to come back and spread the word.”
Hold That Upload! New Year Could Get Messy
The Luang Prabang Clean Up Crew had barely dried off from showering after the March rubbish haul, when Ms Rattanasuvannaphon sent out an urgent email. The annual parade for Lao New Years, Pi Mai, was just two weeks away. She needed 100 trash bins and a legion of cleaners to ensure a spotless parade route before and after the procession.
Luang Prabang’s hotels filled the basket order within a day, and some 200 staff from 15 properties enlisted in the clean-up corp, as did more than 50 students from Phanluang Secondary School. The Pi Mai Parade went off without a stain, and the crew is eyeing Phou Vao Road for the 29 April Clean Up.
The Luang Prabang Clean Up Crew’s next big test comes in June, when the city hosts its first major business event, The Mekong Tourism Forum. Delegates might expect to walk into a sepia-toned 19th-century colonial postcard, and they may have a riverside cocktail. But with Luang Prabang constantly cleaning up its act, forum participants will miss out on the empty water bottles, Styrofoam chunks, and plastic bags scattered along the rivers and roads.
