Vientiane. 23 January 2007. An event was held in Vientiane today, to launch a unique tourist publication. Called Stay Another Day in Laos, this 60-page booklet features the products and services of 32 non-governmental organizations and socially-conscious businesses. Its sponsor is the International Finance Corporation’s Mekong Private Sector Development Facility (IFC-MPDF)
Speaking at the launch, IFC-MDPF Tourism Manager, Kate Lloyd-Williams stated that the partners have launched the Stay Another Day project in order to encourage tourists to stay longer, spend more and do so in ways which are sustainable. “By sustainable tourism we mean tourism that is environmentally, culturally and socially-friendly and benefits the local community, but also makes good business sense.
“As we have all heard many times, tourists spend less time and money in Laos than they do in neighboring countries. Most tourists come to Laos to see the historic buildings of Luang Prabang. They tour the temples and palaces, buy some souvenirs, take some pictures and then fly away.
The tourism products and services featured in the Stay Another Day Laos booklet include: eco-tours, local cuisine and cooking classes, traditional massage, visits to development projects, rehabilitation centers, artisans and the concerts of master musicians, as well as many other interesting activities. Typically the enterprises featured were set up to directly or indirectly benefit disadvantaged people such as abused and abandoned women and children, children who have lost their parents, people with disabilities and communities with high rates of poverty.
The goals of Stay Another Day are to give tourists an opportunity to learn more about the Lao PDR of today and help NGOs and socially responsible enterprises to sustain and expand their worthwhile work by drawing more tourists to them. Benefits are also expected for the locally-owned hotels, guesthouses, tour operators, souvenir sellers etc. who promote Stay Another Day activities because tourists who stay longer, spend more.
Lloyd-Williams says that IFC-MPDF also hope their initiative will begin to raise everyone’s awareness about the need for sustainable tourism. “Lao PDR is blessed with great tourism potential – centuries old temples and palaces, forests abundant with wildlife, a rich and interesting culture, colourful markets, wonderful food, and gracious, friendly people.
“In an undeveloped country like Laos, tourism can be a great boon because it brings jobs and human resources development to rural areas where these are badly needed, and it can stimulate the development of all kinds of enterprises such as furniture makers, organic growers, craft producers, craft sellers, performers etc. which start up to supply the tourist industry but grow to serve other markets.
“But tourism can also be a curse if it hotels and restaurants compete with local residents for scare electrical power, land and water resources, waste pollutes the community and social problems develop such as sex tourism.
”By promoting sustainable tourism, we hope to make the concept much more widely recognized within the industry and by tourists themselves so that the negative consequences of tourism are prevented or addressed before they become damaging, and that those members of the industry who commit to sustainable tourism are rewarded with more business, and see that sustainable tourism makes good business sense. Most importantly, the industry lasts for the long term.”
Copies of the booklet will be distributed through hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, and tour operators and listed on the website, www.stay-another-day.org as well as on MPDF’s website. Partners in the website include: Lonely Planet, Climate Care, Sustainable Travel International and worldhotel-link.com. All are involved in promoting sustainable tourism in the region as well as across the world, and hope the website will raise awareness about the concept.
