Tourism operators urged to register with national body

Standing Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad has urged tourism operators to register with the Association of Travel Agents, to improve the standard of services provided by the industry.Mr Somsavat gave the advice yesterday when he addressed the 7th Business Forum on Tourism, held in Vientiane.

He said that by registering with the association, tourism operators would be in a stronger position by having more support in running their business.Mr Somsavat said registration would also create more systematic operations within the industry. He had heard that some business operators did not follow the rules and were competing for customers at border crossings by offering different prices.

“If companies fail to register, the association has the right to warn them about the effect on the long term benefit for their business. Registration will help us to manage our work more easily, and be more systematic and accurate,” he said.Those setting up a tourism company must have some training in the field and make sure their staff have a certificate so they don’t make mistakes in promoting Laos and comply with government guidelines.

Lao National Tourism Administration (LNTA) staff said officials at the provincial and local level were working on registration to encourage companies to provide better service and operate transparently.Mr Somsavat said the association should look into the background of companies, guesthouses and hotels before they set up a business, so as to ensure a high standard of service.

President of the Association of Travel Agents, Mr Bouakhao Phomsouvanh, said more than 40 companies in Vientiane had registered with the association so far, but they had not succeeded in collecting registration fees as targeted because there were not enough incentives for companies to pay.

Mr Bouakhao said the LNTA should make it easier for the association to persuade more companies to register, and to establish rules for the industry.Another issue raised at the forum was the collection of US$1 or US$2 fees from tourists. A better solution was urged to make visitors feel comfortable and that was fair to both backpackers and those travelling in tour groups.

Tourism operators asked the LNTA to open an office to collect fees from visitors at border crossings, but Mr Somsavat said this would make the process more complicated. The government wanted a simple system to ensure easy entry into Laos.The meeting also considered collecting fees from guesthouses and hotels if tourists had not paid a travel agency.

Participants agreed it was necessary to collect fees but could not come up with a clear solution as to how this might best be done.“We will collect the fees, but we have to do it in a way that makes tourists happy,” Mr Somsavat said.

Source = laovoices