The 11th Lanith Symposium will be held on
Friday, 14 February 2014 at the Lao Airlines Building at Wattay
International Airport between 13:30-18:00.
The topic of the Symposium will be Paving
a Path to Responsible Tourism in Laos.
Tourism
is an important sector to Laos and its contribution to the economy
has increased significantly in the past decade, creating new
opportunities for economic growth and poverty reduction.
However,
unmanaged and rapid tourism growth has also resulted in a pattern of
tourism that concentrates on a few destinations; threatens
natural, cultural, and urban heritage; and contributes to
undesirable social impacts.
New opportunities provided by the
development of transportation corridors are not being utilized,
and the capacity of tourism SMEs to service tourist needs, and of
the public sector to sustainably manage growth, are weak.
As a
result, the contribution of tourism to poverty reduction and
sustainable, inclusive development in the country is limited.
Unless addressed, these issues threaten the long-term
sustainability of the sector and its ability to contribute to
national development.
The keynote presentation will outline how hospitality and
tourism companies in Asia can contribute to their bottom line while at the same time doing good. Andrew Jones grew up in the
hotel business as his parents managed Country Inns and Restaurants
in the United Kingdom. Over the past 40 years, he has worked in
numerous senior management and corporate positions for prestigious
hotels, resorts and management companies in London, Bermuda,
Canada and across Asia.
In 1996, Andrew embarked on a new journey. He founded and became the Guardian of Sanctuary Resorts to
offer responsible and sustainable experiences for tourists to
rediscover their body, mind and spirit in an environmentally
friendly space.
There will also be a presentation on The
Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and its recently
adopted Guidelines for Tour Operators and Hotels, which will be organised by the
PATA Laos Chapter. Several Lao-based case studies
will be shared in this presentation.
Laos,
Lanith,
Lao Airlines,
Andrew Jones
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