LaoSafe Website Leading to Increased Interest in Laos as a Destination

VIENTIANE, LAOS - Media OutReach - 24 October 2022 - The official website of the LaoSafe programme, which provides an improved digital experience for visitors to Laos, as well as for businesses certified under the national initiative, has experienced unprecedented surges in traffic over the past few weeks.

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 a 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 programme 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 programme is helping to promote Laos as a safe, secure destination for travellers in the region and around the world."

The LaoSafe programme 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.

For further information, visit https://laosafe.gov.la/ For all media enquiries, additional comments, or requests for interviews, please contact [email protected]

Hashtag: #LaoSafe