Public, private sectors mull ways to bolster tourism businesses

Government officials and business representatives met in Vientiane on Wednesday to discuss the problems faced by tourism-related businesses.

Representatives of public and private sectors attend a meeting in Vientiane on Wednesday to discuss tourism-related issues.

The Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI) and the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism organised the public and private consultative meeting, as part of the Lao Business Forum mechanism.
The talks aimed to find solutions to problems that are obstacles to tourism business operations and compile a list of issues that were raised and dealt with by the business sector at a consultative tourism meeting held on July 28.
The meeting identified four priorities involving unresolved issues discussed at the previous Forum. In addition, two more new priorities and five other issues still need to be resolved.   
The talks were co-chaired by Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Mr Ounthuang Khaophanh and the Vice President of the LNCCI, Ms Chanthachone Vongxay.
More than 55 representatives from eight ministries, business sociations, tourism-related businesses and international organisations attended the meeting.
Mr Ounthuang urged ministry officials to clarify the problems under their scope of responsibility so that Laos is able to successfully host Visit Laos Year 2024.The deputy minister also announced a government decree on the establishment of a national committee to support the tourism industry. Committee members include senior ministry officials and high-level Chamber members. Their duties are to encourage and support tourism operators and promptly resolve problems that arise.
Ms Chanthachone said that after the meeting the results of discussions would be summarised and submitted to the Secretariat of the Lao Business Forum to prepare a report for leaders, led by the deputy prime minister, to consider. A roadmap would then be formulated and a report submitted to the 15th Lao Business Forum, which is scheduled for March 2024.
The meeting’s frank and constructive discussions enabled participating company representatives to air their views and elaborate the additional problems they faced, in the hope that the public sector would help to resolve these problems in the near future.
The conference was supported by USAID through the Lao business environment project and Lao competitive and trade  project.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update September 29, 2023)