25th SEA Games, Laos

The travel agencies in Vientiane were not able to reserve any room from any of the four and five-star hotels here, so that they could not entertain the requests from the big groups of SEA Games tourists who demanded to be housed in such high-end hotels.

This is because the SEA Games organising committee had ?blocked? or reserved all such rooms for their VIP guests.

The reservation manager of the Lao Youth Travel, located in Vientiane?s glitzy ?Khemkhong,? Mr Thonglith Thammavong told KPL News last week that he had hotel reservation requests from SEA Games tourist group, as many as 200 to 300 person groups from Malaysia and Vietnam, but he had to turn them down.

He added that he had made counter offers to them, for provision of rooms in one, two and three-star hotels, but as they were bent on being housed only in the most luxurious hotels in Vientiane and so he was not able to do any business with them.
While he felt sad at having to forego such lucrative business deals, but he was not deterred by the setback as he knew he could rely on the traditional tourist business and tourist arrivals to this capital city had been trending upwards for the past three weeks.

Working out in his mind on a gamut of tactics to tackle the new and novel situation, he decided on a plan of action to best serve the tourists during the SEA Games period.

He would advise them to fly from Bangkok to Luang Prabang (north) for a two or three-day stay and then relocate to Luang Namtha (north) for just one night. The next stage would be to fly from Luang Namtha to Pakse (southernmost Champassak province) for a four-night stay.

Another class of tourists, Mr Thonglith mentioned were the second tier ones who would be happy to stay in one, two and three-star hotels and any of the local travel agencies would be able to cater to their accommodation needs.

One source of business, he mentioned, would be those SEA Games tourists who come in small groups, who would not demand to be housed in five star hotels and he could house them in the second tier hotels.

Last but not least he said he would offer to help the loner or twosome walk-in tourists during the SEA Games period, by offering to house them in guest houses that charge 10 to 15 USD per night.

This is the fourth of the series of a journalist?s walkabout in Vientiane?s tourist belt to source for ?stories? from the tourist outlets, with emphasis on their modus operandi.

It so happened that the walkabout period coincided with the coming SEA Games and so this journalist walked into a travel agency.

(KPL) Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh, his delegation and governors of provinces toured the SEA Games in Vientiane on 19 August.

The SEA Games Village is ready for occupation. The complex of eight building has 992 bedrooms, a restaurant that can accommodate 1,200 diners, an administration room and a recreation centre.The Cabinet organized a soccer match on the grounds of the stadium that will be used for the opening and closing ceremonies of the SEA Games and it was meant to test the hardiness of the field.

The friendly football match was played by a team that was made up of members of the cabinet and the other was made up of governors of the provinces in the country.
The two teams played for 50 minutes and the cabinet won the game by scoring six goals and the other side managed only five.

Tourism agencies from around the country are working with the Lao Association for Travel Agencies (LATA) to promote tourist attractions to visitors during the 25th SEA Games this December.

The association will gather information on tourist attractions from various provincial travel agencies before creating tourist guide books for use by visitors during the games.

“We have already received a lot of information and we will now select the best ideas to put into booklets for SEA Games visitors, a member of the association's Management Committee, Mr Inthy Deuansavanh, said yesterday

“The guide to Vientiane will include That Luang Stupa, Patuxay Monument , and Sisaket, Hor Phra Keo and Xiengkhuan temples as well as Talat Sao Shopping Mall, many handicraft shops and the night-bazaar which is currently under construction,” he said.

Mr Inthy said a guide book for Vientiane province will also be produced and would include Nam Ngum Dam, kayaking at Hin Heub and also Vangvieng.

“We will also bring out a guide to Borikhamxay province that will cover Phou Khao Khuay protected area where visitors can see wild elephants,” he said.

The association will meet with the Vientiane Tourism Department to discuss the proposed guide books.

The LATA will print 10,000 of the guidebooks for free distribution during the event.

Mr Inthy said the association also plans to set-up tourist information desks at various locations throughout Vientiane during the games.

The Lao National Tourism Administration (LNTA) has conducted a survey on the readiness of the hospitality sector ahead of the games.

The LNTA believes more than 6,300 people will visit Laos during the games including delegates, media representatives and athletes.

The administration reported that there are 95 hotels with 3,616 rooms and 169 guesthouses with 2,474 rooms in central Vientiane . Another 26 hotels with 966 rooms and the SEA Games Athletes' Village with 4,000 rooms are currently under construction.

The LNTA will also arrange for tours to sites of cultural, national, historical and archaeological interest in the capital, Vientiane and Borikhamxay provinces for visitors during the games.


By Souknilundon Southivongnorath
Vientianetimes

The Accommodation, Food and Tourism Committee of the 25th SEA Games will organise free shuttle buses giving city tours for invited guests and athletes attending the event in Vientiane from December 9 to 18.

Deputy Director of the committee, Dr Sila Mounthalavong yesterday said the shuttle buses will be part of the committee's service to promote tourism during the games.

“Guests and athletes will be able to explore the city and visit famous historic and cultural sites, while also enjoying shopping at handicraft stores and malls in the capital,” he said.

Dr Sila, who is also Vice Chairman of the Lao National Tourism Administration, said the committee would organise for some hotels and the SEA Games' Athletes' Village to sell special tour programmes for various locations around Laos .

Domestic tour operators will also sell tour packages to regional and international visitors who want to see the games and travel through Laos , he said.

“We are in the process of sending information on our package tour programmes to SEA Games Organising Committees in other countries to help us promote the programmes in those countries in the lead-up to the games,” he said.

Dr Sila said the committee also plans to print tourist handbooks to provide information about entering Laos and other details on accommodation, food, shopping places and tourist sites.

In addition, the committee will print maps to facilitate visitors touring the nation.

“Upgrading the quality of services in hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and tour guides is also important so we can provide the best services possible for those attending the games in Vientiane ,” he said.

“Advertising the games effectively can not be achieved by one sector alone, but needs all sectors and people to get involved,” he said.

Popular historic and cultural tourism sites in central Vientiane include the city's oldest temple, Vat Sisaket, which contains thousands of miniature Buddha images, and the former royal temple of Vat Prakeo where the famous Emerald Buddha image was previously housed.

A visit to the nation's symbol, the sacred structure of Thatluang Stupa where Lao people from around the nation gather to worship on significant days of the year, should be on any tourists agenda.

A day in the city can be rounded off with a trip to Patuxay Monument , known as Vientiane 's own Arc de Triumph, and viewing the sunset by the banks of the Mekong River .

Buddha Park , or Xieng Khuan, is one of Vientiane 's major cultural tourism sites located on the banks of the Mekong River on outskirts of the city.

The park contains hundreds of statues of Buddhist and Hindu deities. On the pleasant 28km journey along Thadeua road to the park visitors will also pass the National Cultural Park and the Lao-Thai International Friendship Bridge.

By Panyasith Thammavongsa
Vientianetimes