Laos eyes boost in tourist arrivals through TRAVEX Trade Fair

The Travel Exchange (TRAVEX) Trade Fair, part of the Asean Tourism Forum (ATF) taking place from January 22-27 kicked off in Vientiane on Wednesday, bringing together buyers from all over the world to meet Asean sellers and forge new business partnerships.
The trade fair provides Lao tourism operators with the opportunity to gain direct access to target markets, buy and sell tourism products, and network with other business owners.

Mrs Suanesavanh Vignaket and other officials make a brief visit to the booths at the TRAVEX Trade Fair.

The TRAVEX Trade Fair, held at the Lao International Trade Exhibition and Convention Centre (Lao-ITECC), was attended by Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Mrs Suanesavanh Vignaket, and other senior officials and business leaders in the region.
The Asean Tourism Forum is one of the most important annual tourism promotional events in Asia and is hosted in rotation by Asean member nations.
The Lao government plans to attract 4.6 million domestic and foreign visitors this year and hopes that the Forum, the “Visit Laos Year” tourism promotion campaign, and Laos’ Asean chairmanship will significantly boost tourist arrivals.
Deputy Director General of the Tourism Marketing Department, Ms Manisakhone Thammavongxay, told reporters on Wednesday that the trade fair provides a unique and specialised platform for buyers from around the world to meet Asean tourism product and service providers, establish new business connections, and strengthen existing relationships with partners.
“Some 70 buyers attended this exhibition, representing a diverse range of countries including France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Turkey, Australia, New Zealand, Poland, the Netherlands, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia,” she said.
She added that all vendors (107 full delegates and 101 co-delegates) participating in the exhibition are from Asean countries. The exhibition features 34 booths representing 105 companies. There are also 130 trade visitors.
 “Our expectation from this Asean Tourism Forum is to help Lao tourism related businesses make new business partnerships and bring more tourists to Laos. This will help boost the economy after it has been hit hard by the Covid pandemic in recent years,” Ms Manisakhone said.
“Every time that tourism related businesses attend the Asean Tourism Forum, they get new partners and we hope that Lao companies will also get new partners after the event.”
Mr Christian Knorr from Gebeco, a German tourism enterprise, said his company is looking for sustainability partners, hotel partners and NGOs in the Asean region.
He said his company’s tour programme currently offers tours in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, but Laos has yet to be included in the programme.
Therefore, he said, he will try to form new partnerships with Lao companies so he can offer a tour programme that will allow foreign visitors to come to Laos and explore the country.

By Somsack Pongkhao
 (Latest Update January 25, 2024)