Category: Business

LaoSafe, a health and hygiene programme for the tourism and hospitality sector, has just received official approval from the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism (MICT), and will now be piloted in Vientiane.

LaoSafe comprises a series of health and hygiene standards for different subsectors of the tourism and hospitality industry, including for accommodation providers, food and beverage outlets, airlines, tourist attractions, tour guides and drivers.

Operating under an Advisory Committee chaired by Vice Minister of MICT Ounthuang Khaophan, these standards have been developed with MICT in partnership with the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI), business associations including the Lao Hotel and Restaurant Association, the Lao Association of Travel Agents, the Lao Tour Guide Association, the Lao Van Association and key private sector partners including Lao Airlines, Lao Skyways, Crowne Plaza Hotel, among others.

The standards have then been independently reviewed and approved by the MoH.

“The goal of the LaoSafe programme is to provide a uniform standard, aligned with international good practices, to align health and hygiene practices across the industry – to improve quality, protect staff and visitors alike and to inspire confidence in tourists considering a trip to the Lao PDR. With a quality programme in place, the Lao tourism sector will be better prepared for a potential re-opening of the international borders,” said Darany Phommavongsa, Director General, Department of Tourism Management and Chair of the LaoSafe Coordination Committee.

Supporting material, including guides and training material is available at www.tourismlaos.org and will be supplemented by training delivered initially by the Institute of Mass Media, Culture and Tourism (IMCT).

When confident of meeting the required standards, businesses will be able to apply for assessment by the Department of Tourism Management, which will visit each business to conduct the assessment onsite.

Businesses that pass will be accredited as LaoSafe and receive a range of offline and digital marketing collateral. They will also be listed under a special directory of approved businesses on www.tourismlaos.org and be part of the domestic and regional marketing of the LaoSafe programme. For businesses which do not pass the initial assessment, feedback will be provided, and once improvements have been implemented, these businesses will be able to retake the assessment.

Speaking during the design of the LaoSafe Programme Mr. Oudet Souvannavong, President of the LNCCI, stressed, ‘The importance of having high quality standards and a rigorous assessment protocol in place in order to build confidence in the programme and raise standards across the sector’.

The LaoSafe programme is currently being piloted in Vientiane, with trainers and assessors undergoing their initial training. Subject to Covid-19 restrictions being eased, it is expected Food and Beverage businesses will be able to undergo training and assessment from November, with accommodation providers from January 2022. Expansion to other key tourism destinations can be expected early in 2022 following the official launch of the LaoSafe Programme in January.

During the pilot phase, training and assessment is being provided free of charge to businesses with the costs supported by the Skills for Tourism Project (LAO/029).

For more information, please visit www.tourismlaos.org or email laosafe@luxdev.lu.

Technical and financial support of the LaoSafe programme is being provided by the Skills for Tourism Project (LAO/029). The Skills for Tourism Project is co-financed by the Governments of the Lao PDR, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Switzerland, and implemented by the MoES of the Lao PDR and LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency.

Source: Lao News Agency

Looking beyond the current ‘take, make and dispose’ extractive industrial model, the circular economy is restorative and regenerative by design.

Relying on system-wide innovation, it aims to redefine products and services to design waste out, while minimizing negative impacts. Underpinned by a transition to renewable energy sources, the circular model builds economic, natural and social capital.

The Lao PDR can create around one million jobs and add US$16 billion per year to its GDP by 2050 by adopting a circular economy model, according to the “Circular GHG mitigation opportunities in the Lao PDR” report from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Virtually launched on Nov 26, 2021 in Vientiane, the report identified 17 interventions as being the most effective measures for the country to promote the circular economy. These include embracing wood-based construction, improved livestock efficiency, prioritizing active, shared, public and electric transport and reducing food losses.

The global goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 is a goal embraced by the Lao PDR in its updated Nationally Declared Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement. With the measures proposed in the NDC, Lao PDR can reduce its global greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint from 106 to 58 million tCO2e/year in 2040. However, net-zero is possible in the same year with circular mitigation and sequestration.

Utilizing metabolic analysis, the report is based on a detailed search for country-specific trade, production, processing and disposal data. The report and the process that led to its publication support an update of the Lao PDR’s latest Nationally Determined Contribution from March 2021 and provide a long-term strategy to support the ambition to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2050.

While circular GHG mitigation is expected to require a US$4.1 billion investment in the period 2022-2036, in addition to the US$4.7 billion required between 2020 and 2030 to implement the NDC, eighty-nine per cent of the circular greenhouse gas mitigation and sequestration potential has a positive net present value, and 85 per cent provides a payback in less than six years.

However, the Lao PDR must overcome regulatory and institutional barriers for circular ventures to have greater access to investment capital to realize these investments.

The project was commissioned by UNDP under the NDC Support Programme, which works in contribution to the NDC Partnership with generous support from the German Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMU), the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the European Union and the Government of Spain.

The report was prepared by Shifting Paradigms, Earth Systems, Rebel Group, DFDL and Circle Economy with support from donors, UNDP, workshop participants, experts and reviewers.

The Lao government contributors to the report included the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Energy and Mines, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Ministry of Information Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Science and Technology and Vientiane Urban Development and Administration Authority.

Academic and research contributions came from the faculty of Lao academic institutions, including the National University of Laos, Lao-German Vocational College, National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute and the National Economic Research Institute.

Source: LAO News Agency

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