Under the umbrella of the ASEAN National Tourism Organization, the bloc has established seven tourism criteria aimed at standardizing tourism services. These criteria are crucial in elevating the quality of tourism products and services while fostering responsible management practices among tourism businesses and stakeholders across the region.
Recognizing adherence to these benchmarks, awards are bestowed upon facilities in the region that meet ASEAN’s criteria for excellence in tourism services.
Five hotels in Laos won the ASEAN Green Hotel Standard award, including Amantaka Hotel in Luang Prabang province, the Pullman Luang Prabang, Belmond la Residence Phou Vao in Luang Prabang, the Crowne Plaza Vientiane, and Le Grand Pakbeng Resort in Oudomxay province. The awards are given to hotels dedicated to promoting sustainable tourism practices in the region.
Vientiane Capital and Kaysone Phomvihane City in Savannakhet Province also received the ASEAN Clean City Tourist Standard award, which is aimed at encouraging major urban tourist destinations to improve the quality of tourism in their cities, increase their marketing competitiveness, and also improve the situation of local residents and their livelihood by alleviating poverty.
Notably, Laos also received five ASEAN Event Venue Standard, Conference Hall awards, one Exhibition Venue award, five Festival Venue awards, and two ASEAN Sustainable Tourism Award, namely Kua Lao restaurant in Vientiane Capital and the Tad Yeuang restaurant in Champasack province.
This year’s ASEAN Tourism Forum, from 22-27 January, focused on sustainability, with the bloc’s members committing to prioritize environmentally responsible practices in tourism.
Tourism projection for the region revealed a year-on-year increase of 153.09 percent in international arrivals for the region, signaling a strong trajectory for post-pandemic recovery.
