Research, editing, image by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
News on Laos, Mongolia, disease control
News (1)
Laos faces and needs to overcome hurdles to stimulate tourism and economy growth
Image : Researcher's Picture
According to a recent report by The Vientiane Times website, the Lao media has put forward suggestions on whether Laos should fully reopen its tourism industry and allow independent tourists to enter, as well as the future prospects of Laos' economy if group tourism cannot be resumed.
According to the report, in 2019, tourism contributed 10% of global GDP. In Laos, tourism is even higher, accounting for 12% of the country's GDP. Compared with economic sectors such as mining and logging, tourism and related industries in Laos provide nearly 400,000 jobs and are an important sustainable way to increase the country's per capita income.
However, with the outbreak of the epidemic and strict prevention and control measures introduced by various countries, this important source of foreign exchange has been cut off. The Lao economy has been hit hard. A large number of tourism practitioners have lost their livelihoods and the cost of gasoline and other imported goods has continued to rise.
News (2)
The "Tourism Green Zone" plan implemented, only a foreign tourism team arrived
In order to get rid of the predicament as soon as possible, the Lao government formulated the "Tourism Green Zone" plan in late November 2021, hoping to ensure the vaccination rate (70%-80% for scenic spots, 90%-95% for tourists), standardize entry procedures (effective entry Certificates, vaccination certificates and negative PCR tests within 72 hours), etc., restart the country to welcome guests from all over the world.
However, more than a month has passed since the launch of the "Tourism Green Zone" program on New Year's Day of 2022. Except for a tour group from a South Korean school who came to participate in a golf trip, the group tour boom that Laos expected to see has not been appeared.
News (3)
Cumbersome conditions for entry into Laos
The reason may be that the "threshold" for entry into Laos is still high - the visa process is cumbersome, the flights are opened irregularly, and the relevant regulations are neither clear enough nor well implemented. Regional flights to Laos are limited and expensive compared to neighbouring countries, which inevitably discourages tourists.
Laos is rich in tourism resources, beautiful natural scenery, and dotted with historical and cultural heritage. Ideally, tourism policy should be tourist-focused, thereby promoting the growth of this important economic sector. With this in mind, here are 5 concrete steps Laos can take on its path to a truly full reopening of tourism:
News (4)
Lao Airlines should restore international scheduled air traffic, launch new routes
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Laos should restore more regular commercial air, land and rail transport links with neighbouring countries to facilitate passenger movement. The most important thing now is to negotiate new routes with neighbouring countries and regions, which could help open up new markets such as the Philippines, Hong Kong and Indonesia, given that many airports in Laos are underutilized.
Lao Airlines has future plans to launch scheduled flights to Jakarta and Japan as well as resume flights to Singapore and China. However, Hong Kong has long been overlooked although it was the targeted destination of the then Lao Aviation.
News (5)
Decision makers should be empowered
Decision-making should be placed in the hands of senior tourism industry experts who can coordinate reopening policies across multiple sectors, act quickly and take responsibility.
News (6)
Allowing personal travel and reducing quarantine period
Vaccinated travelers (individuals) from various countries are allowed to enter Laos without continuing quarantine and observation after entry. These tourists, who have received a few shots, should be treated as honoured guests. Tourists generally want to explore Laos at their own pace and interests, and no one wants to struggle through long quarantines. With the national vaccination rate in Laos surpassing 50%, the bureaucracy and quarantine requirements that are hampering the tourism recovery should be reduced.
News (7)
Improving communication with the world
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If tourists are interested in coming to Laos, where can they find the latest entry information? What can they do when they arrive? Clear and concise communication is essential for Laos to reopen tourism but the Lao National Tourism Authority website still lacks an overview of the current situation and updates cannot be found on social media. The lack of communication with the global tourism market will make foreign guests lack confidence in Laos as a tourist destination.
News (8)
Targeted marketing aside, more electric buses to encourage sustainable tourism
According to past data, as many as 95% of overseas tourists come from neighboring countries of Laos but so far, Laos has not developed a targeted and refined tourism marketing strategy to open up new market segments. Laos cannot wait any longer. It is time to connect, ease restrictions and reopen Laos to the world.
According to a recent report by The Vientiane Time, after the opening of the China-Laos railway, the number of tourists to Oudomxay province in northwestern Laos is increasing day by day. To this end, a local passenger transport company plans to purchase 10 more electric vehicles on the basis of the original 5 electric buses, which will be used for passenger transport services to and from the scenic spot on the China-Laos Railway from Mengsai Station.
Depending on the travel distance, fares range from 5,000 to 10,000 Lao Kip (about 2.80 to 5.60 Dollars) per passenger. “Oudomxay is the first province in Laos to allow private companies to operate electric bus passenger services, which is a new mode of transportation that is both environmentally friendly and helps promote tourism,” said Dao Vien, the company’s director.
News (9)
Mongolia lifts covid travel ban, PCR test negative still required
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According to Mongolian English media Magnificent Mongolia, although vaccinated and unvaccinated tourists are now allowed to enter Ulaanbaatar since 14 February 2022, they must show evidence of PCR test negative for covid within 72 hours before arrival. They must also wear masks, sanitize their hands and maintain safe distancing while travelling in Mongolia.
92% of the eligible Mongolian population are vaccinated and 52% of Mongolians have received vaccine boosters.
Visitors are encouraged to get vaccinated in Mongolia.
News (10)
Ordinary passport holders of 25 countries to travel visa-free to Mongolia
Reporter : Munkhzul.A, Montsame News
In connection with the Mongolian Government’s decision to fully open the country’s borders to international travel and lift pandemic restrictions, a conference took place under the theme, "New Revival Policy - Tourism", on 14 February 2022. The conference was organized at the initiative of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism.
In aims of effectively implementing the ‘Vision-2050’ long-term development policy and boosting the productivity of government organizations, the Government recently approved the ‘New Revival Policy’, its program for implementation in phases, and large-scale development projects that are planned to be carried out in its framework.
During the conference, Minister of Foreign Affairs B.Battsetseg highlighted that the tourism sector has a crucial role in accelerating the country’s economy, and noted that the Ministry is focusing on smoother entry of foreign nationals traveling to Mongolia, and providing support for tourism by carrying out certain works.
Based on the effective practices of countries around the world, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is actively working to facilitate the travel conditions of foreign nationals, and further refine the legal environment for tourism and investment. Currently, visa exemption arrangements have been made for ordinary passport holders of 25 nationalities and diplomatic and official passport holders of 63 nationalities.
Following the agreement that was reached on the issue of developing tourism in the Mongolia-China border region, the K3 visa has been introduced which is a three-day visa.
In the framework of Mongolia’s foreign policy, ‘Vision-2050’ long-term development policy, and the Government’s action plan for 2020-2024, a comprehensive program is currently being implemented on expanding cultural relations with other countries by accelerating promotional works abroad.
Through the 46 Diplomatic Representatives’ Offices around the world, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also consistently promotes the laws of Mongolia as well as the policies, decisions, and works being carried out by the Government. Within the aims of increasing the country’s competitiveness for tourism internationally, and developing sustainable tourism, support is being provided for developing cooperation in economy and tourism with other countries alongside promoting the Government’s policy on tourism development.
Furthermore, preparations have been recently completed for projects and programs aimed at boosting the country’s tourism sector with the involvement of Mongolian citizens abroad, and utilizing new opportunities in increasing the flow of foreign and domestic tourists in the country.
As for the issue concerning vaccinations, the mutual acknowledgement of ‘Health Certificate for International Travel’ or vaccine certificates have been reached with the countries of Kazakhstan, Hungary, Turkey, Japan, India, and the U.K, while talks are underway with countries such as Canada, UAE, South Korea, China, Russia, and the EU.
During the conference, the participants highlighted the importance of specifically defining the pressing issues for developing tourism in Mongolia and resolving them, increasing the sector’s competitiveness internationally, ensuring the correlation between the policy and works of corresponding organizations in order to improve the current conditions for tourism based on public-private-people partnership, and organizing promotional works abroad comprehensively by handling the matter through a "single window".
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