The Lao tourism administration agency has vowed to support the promotion of local businesses by shifting their marketing focus to domestic travelers so the industry can survive the COVID-19 pandemic.

Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr Savankhone Razmountry on Friday kicked off a public-private forum to discuss what can be done to enable businesses to host safe and sound domestic travel activities.

President of the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr Oudet Souvannavong, a number of tourism policymakers and tourism business representatives attended the Asian Development Bank sponsored event.

At the forum opening ceremony, Mr Savankhone said the promotion of domestic travel would not only enable tourism businesses to minimise the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic but also help them to prepare for the return of international visitors when the crisis is over.

He said authorities would be ready to take on board the views of different stakeholders into consideration as part of efforts to create a sound tourism in the operating environment in the country.

However, he said that tourism firms must strictly follow the government ‘s guidelines and adopt ‘new normal’ practice in order to prevent a second outbreak of the coronavirus in the country, which is perceived as a key factor to maintain business sustainability amid the uncertain environment.

Mr. Oudet said tourism was one of the sectors heavily impacted by the pandemic due to the fact that the majority of operators relied on the inflow of international visitors.

This had resulted in a dramatic drop in income for tourism operators putting many under financial pressure to maintain the viability of their operators.

He said the business community welcomed the government initiative to promote domestic travel, adding that the intervention would enable tourism operators to stay in business.

He also said the resumption of tourism activities would help authorities to manage the high unemployment rate.

A manager of travel agency, Mr. Inthy Deuansavanh said the targeting of domestic travel was a timely and appropriate policy to help tourism business survive during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said the business community not only expected assistance in promoting their services, but they also needed financial incentive, including business tax cuts, to help them survive the crisis.

Other travel firms said the government should use this opportunity to eliminate barriers to business operation including facilitating freight and transportation services in the country.

Tourism officials said the business had to adjust themselves to the new operation environment, adding add the adoption of modern IT technology would help them reduce operating costs. On top of that, the travel trade must deploy measures in accordance with government advice of prevent a second outbreak of COVID-19, they said. According to a report from Lao Ministry of information, Culture and Tourism, the local tourism industry has been hit hard by the pandemic. Visitor numbers in the first six months of this year decreased around 60 percent compared to the same period last year.

The Lao government has imposed a number of measures to keep the COVID-19 outbreak under control over recent months. To date, Laos has recorded only 22 confirmed cases, which is still lower than in other countries of the region.

Cr: Vientiane Time