10 years creating opportunities in Lao PDR

Swisscontact started in Laos with the Champasak Tourism Business Development Project (CTBD). This initiative focused on developing tourism in Champasak Province, known for its rich cultural and natural heritage, with Wat Phou UNESCO World Heritage Site, Si Phan Don, and the Bolaven Plateau being prime examples. CTBD aims to enhance local skills, improve tourism infrastructure, connect businesses with larger markets, engage communities, and preserve the region’s heritage. The project collaborated with key stakeholders to develop “Southern Laos: Charming by Nature” as the destination’s brand identity.

Swisscontact's approach in Laos focuses on the active participation of local actors in tourism development, and considers economic, social, and environmental factors. We aim to protect natural beauty while ensuring the local population benefits from economic growth. MIGIP centered around promoting Champasak as a key tourism area. Through targeted training, tourism SMEs improved service quality and competitiveness while new products and attractions were developed with local partners to attract international guests who stayed longer and spent more. Marketing initiatives catered to various participants in the tourism sector to empower them to reach target groups through different market channels directly.

The Pheun Than Heng A Sip Training Programme (PTHAS) addressed low service quality in tourism and hospitality businesses. With over 120 tailor-made training units, it was developed in collaboration with the Lao National Institute for Tourism and Hospitality (LANITH). Originally piloted in Champasak Province, the program expanded to eight more provinces, offering employment opportunities to people from disadvantaged backgrounds. The initiative was part of the Skills for Tourism Project (LAO/029), supported financially by the Governments of Lao PDR, Switzerland, and Luxembourg. Implementation involved the Lao Ministry of Education and Sports and the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency (LuxDev), along with provincial hotel and restaurant associations.

The Vocational Training and Employment Support Services (VTESS) project aims to achieve its goal through three main outcomes and areas of work. Outcome 1 focuses on underprivileged youth benefiting from Inclusive Vocational Education and Training (IVET) courses to enhance employability or re-enter education. Outcome 2 involves coaching for employment and entrepreneurship, helping youth with wage or self-employment opportunities. Outcome 3 aims to improve Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system performance through innovative projects. The project operates in five provinces: Oudomxay, Xiengkhuang, Xayaboury, Khammuane, and Saravan. The key implementing partners are the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) and the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MoLSW). The main target group includes young people (15-35 years) with limited education and socioeconomic opportunities.

In 2020, MIGIP concluded its promotional tourism development project in Champasak. Results included 300 tourism SMEs with increased income or resilience despite the pandemic, 267 SMEs offering new products to visitors, 475 SMEs utilizing destination management strategies for marketing, and 366 SMEs accessing training for improved service quality. The project significantly contributed to Champasak's tourism industry growth by empowering local businesses and enhancing the overall visitor experience in the region.

The Pheun Than Heng A Sip (PTHAS) Training Programme, addressing low service quality in tourism and hospitality, concluded in 2021,. It was developed in collaboration with the School of Tourism and Hospitality (formerly known as LANITH), and was expanded to eight provinces, offering employment opportunities to disadvantaged individuals. It was part of the Skills for Tourism Project (LAO/029), and supported by Lao PDR, Switzerland, and Luxembourg. Implementation involved the Ministry of Education and Sports, LuxDev, and provincial hotel and restaurant associations. Results included upskilling 500 staff members in tourism MSMEs, training 500 disadvantaged individuals for employment in the sector, and supporting 36 national trainers in achieving ASEAN trainers' and assessors' standards.

The Waste to Value Project strengthens the environmental performance in service sector small and medium enterprises (SMEs) - including hotels, restaurants, cafés, and mini-marts - by improving their waste management practices and access to green products. The project further strengthens business operations and improves workplace safety for informal waste pickers to increase their income and quality of livelihood. This is complemented by awareness-raising among service sector SMEs and the wider population along with encouraging public-private consultation meetings in Lao PDR to align with national and municipal government strategies.

Swisscontact celebrates its 10-year anniversary in 2023 implementing the Vocational Training and Employment Support Services (VTESS) and the Waste to Value project. In VTESS, disadvantaged youth benefit from access to short-courses and an innovative coaching cycle to find employment and generate incomes to improve the livelihoods for them and their families. In Waste to Value, we support hotels, restaurants, and cafes in greening their businesses operations and strengthen the performance of informal waste pickers to improve their livelihoods. Swisscontact will further consolidate its work around TVET and circular economy in the upcoming years with two additional projects. The Digital Literacy Initiative (DLI) and the Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP-Lao) project will start in 2024 to further promote sustainable development and shared prosperity in the Lao PDR.

Swisscontact’s mission is to unleash the potential of private initiative and in the Lao PDR, we work closely with the local private sector to strengthen the country's existing social and economic structures. We stand for professional quality and high ethical standards in our activities. Our work here in the Lao PDR focuses on vocational education and training including labour market insertion to improve people's skills and provide them opportunities for a secure income and active participation on the labour market. The second main pillar of our work is circular economy which includes the areas of sustainable tourism, waste management, supporting green businesses and promoting sustainable consumption and production to create economic opportunities that address climate change and are environmentally sustainable. - Michael Fink, Country Director.