TRAVEL AGENTS URGED TO FOCUS ON ASIAN MARKET

Travel agents should shift their focus to the Asian market now that Europeans are embroiled in the debt crisis and are less likely to travel, a business representative has said.

Lao Association of Travel Agents President Mr Bouakhao Phomsouvan said yesterday this change in marketing policy would enable Lao tour operators to secure sustainable growth, even though there will inevitably be some fallout from the European financial crisis.

“We will not be able to avoid negative impacts on the tourism industry if the European debt crisis continues,” he said, adding that Lao travel agents should stop relying on tourists from European Union countries and focus more on Asia, where economic growth is strong.

According to the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, the number of tourists from European Union countries actually represent a small proportion of the total number of tourists visiting Laos. However, they are priority customers for Lao travel agents because they have the highest purchasing power of all foreign visitors, spending more money than Asian tourists when they visit.

Mr Bouakhao said travel agents should instead target Singapore, whose nationals are among the highest income earners in the Asean region, particularly as Lao Airlines has now opened a direct flight between Vientiane and Singapore.

The national carrier also plans to open direct flights between Vientiane and more Chinese cities, as well as to the Republic of Korea, which will help bring greater numbers of Asians to Laos.

Mr Bouakhao said the purchasing power of Asian tourists is improving due to strong economic growth, so this is a good time for travel agents to launch a marketing campaign in Asian countries that offer potential growth for the Lao tourism market.

According to a report from the World Bank, Asian economies remained strong in the first half of 2011, despite facing the negative flow-on effects of the European and US debt crisis.

The GDP growth of Asian nations is forecasted to reach 8.2 percent in 2011 and 7.8 percent in 2012.

Mr Bouakhao said Laos has the potential to attract more and more Asian tourists as the country is politically and economically stable and has some well known attractions, such as the World Heritage Site of Luang Prabang and the ancient Vat Phou Champassak temple.

Laos has great potential in terms of ecotourism, he said, as the countryside is heavily forested and relatively pristine in many areas compared to some other countries in the region where native forests are rare.

Tourism officials said that one of the advantages Lao travel agents have over those from other places is their kind and friendly nature, and the warm welcome and good hospitality they offer to foreigners. He said, however, that tour guides needed more training to raise the level of service they provide to overseas visitors and further build their reputation.

Lao tourism authorities will run the Visit Laos Year 2012 campaign next year. The promotion will be a great opportunity for travel agents to sell Lao products and destinations to foreign visitors – particularly those from other Asian nations.

Mr Bouakhao also urged travel agents to continue to improve their services amid growing business competition in the region.

Source - laovoices