LaoSafe Website Leading to Increased Interest in Laos as a Destination

The latest promotional video released in August has recently raked in over a quarter of a million views, making it one of the website's most-watched videos of the year.

The video follows a couple as they journey through some of the varied attractions that the country has to offer: a stay in a luxury 5-star hotel, a tranquil visit to an iconic Buddhist stupa, adventurous activities zip lining and kayaking through various karst rock formations, and, finally, a relaxing cup of freshly brewed Lao coffee surrounded by nature.

Department of Tourism Management Director General, Mme Darany Phommavongsa, of the Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism said of the website: "More and more visitors are arriving in Laos since the country fully reopened its borders in May. A good number of these are already aware of the LaoSafe program and are interested to find out which businesses are LaoSafe certified."

While navigating the website, users can view exciting tourism promotional videos, search for LaoSafe-certified businesses, tour guides, and drivers, obtain information on trainers and assessors, or browse useful resources uploaded to the site, including standards guides and training materials.

Implemented by the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, and approved by the Ministry of Health, LaoSafe is a nationwide initiative designed to create a world-class health and hygiene system within the tourism and hospitality industry.

Sector-specific standards have been developed for accommodation, food and beverage, tour guides, and drivers, to raise the benchmark of hygiene provision throughout the country and to build international confidence in Laos as a safe tourist destination.

Mme Darany Phommavongsa noted that "increased traffic to the LaoSafe website can be traced to several different countries, primarily Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the USA. We are pleased to report that this program is helping to promote Laos as a safe, secure destination for travelers in the region and around the world."

The LaoSafe program is supported by the Skills for Tourism Project (LAO/029), which is co-financed by the governments of the Lao PDR, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Switzerland, and implemented by the Ministry of Education and Sports of Laos and LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency.