Lao Travel Operators Gear Up to Certify Guides and Drivers with LaoSafe | Taiwan News

LaoSafe has witnessed a rise in requests for coaching and certification in anticipation of an uptick in vacationer arrivals to Laos.

VIENTIANE, LAOS – Media OutReach – 1 September 2022 – Laos reopened its borders to worldwide vacationers on 9 Might, dropping all testing and quarantine necessities for vaccinated travellers. Since then, curiosity within the nation has grown, with a rise in guests of over 50% by the top of June resulting in a surge in demand for organised excursions and renewed hope for the approaching excessive season.

Coinciding with the top of the monsoon rains, Laos historically sees customer numbers rise in October, and journey operators throughout the nation are actually racing to additional certify tour guides and drivers to deal with the anticipated inflow of vacationers. So far, over 710 tour guides and 270 drivers have achieved LaoSafe certification.

“LaoSafe is a superb commonplace to have and is essential throughout the brand new regular. The LaoSafe coaching that our guides have obtained has helped them prioritise security and cleanliness. As a tour operator, I need travellers to know that Laos has security requirements in place for them to journey with peace of thoughts and confidence. I want to invite everybody to go to Laos and for tour operators in Laos to use for LaoSafe.”, says Duangmala Phommavong, Managing Director at EXO Travel Laos.

Carried out by the Ministry of Info, Tradition and Tourism, and accredited by the Ministry of Well being, LaoSafe is a nationwide initiative designed to create a world-class well being and hygiene system throughout the tourism and hospitality trade.

Sector-specific requirements have been developed for lodging, meals and beverage, tour guides, and drivers, to boost the benchmark of hygiene provision all through the nation and construct worldwide confidence in Laos as a protected vacationer vacation spot.

“As a DMC (destination-management firm) it’s of utmost significance for us to have the ability to provide our prospects a protected and high quality expertise. As COVID-19 has modified our world and our way of life, it was vital for us to adapt as nicely and due to the LaoSafe initiative this has been attainable,” says Julie Beaufrère, Product and Inbound Officer at Asian Trails Laos.

“Not solely does this initiative permit us to reassure our prospects who can be involved about security and hygiene measures in Laos, nevertheless it additionally permits us to entry a harmonization of companies and the creation of requirements on a nationwide scale that we are going to proceed to assist by coaching our guides and drivers by way of LaoSafe,” she commented.

Whereas customer numbers aren’t instantly anticipated to bounce again to 2019 ranges, the removing of entry restrictions has given the tourism and hospitality trade a great addition after two years of tightly managed borders. But, with COVID-19 numbers nonetheless fluctuating world wide, defending towards an infection remains to be a priority for a lot of.