Lao PDR can be characterised as having a low population density, unspoiled diverse ethnic lifestyles and traditions – and the richest, most extensive ecosystems in the Greater Mekong Sub-region.

Laos is fast becoming a new and exciting tourism destination for the region and the world. In an age where responsible tourism experiences are in increasing demand, Laos offers extraordinary new opportunities for the discerning traveller. With a reputation for warm hospitality and a number of internationally supported ecotourism projects already underway, Laos is working to position itself as a world-class tourism destination.

What tourism can do for Lao PDR

Tourism is an economic activity that has the potential to bring considerable benefits to the nation. When managed effectively, tourism can be used as a vehicle to deliver socio-economic and environmental benefits directly to rural and remote areas. The government of the Lao PDR is working to develop a sustainable tourism industry based on international agreements and best practices.

At the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in June 1992, "the Earth Summit", a comprehensive program of action for sustainable development was adopted by 182 governments known as Agenda 21. It was the first document of its kind to achieve international consensus, and provides a blueprint for sustainable development into the 21st century. It identifies the environment and development issues that threaten our ecological, social and economic future and presents a strategy for the transition to more sustainable practices. There has been ongoing discussion and debate in the years since its adoption about the rate of implementation of the recommendations of Agenda 21 which were agreed to by the nations present, and there has been a growing sense of the urgent need for action.

Since the Rio Earth Summit there has also been a steady increase in awareness around the world of the need to consider environmental and cultural issues in the Travel & Tourism industry and not simply its economic returns. There has been growing recognition that those who profit from tourism are not always those who have to bear its costs. Governments, industry and academia have undertaken research and implemented actions to minimise the impacts of an expanding travel industry on the natural, human and built environment and to develop sustainable tourism practices. In 1996 the World Travel and Tourism Council, World Tourism Organisation and the Earth Council worked together to produce "Agenda 21 for the Travel and Tourism Industry: Towards Ecologically Sustainable Development".

More recently the WTO has developed a Global Code of Ethics for the tourism industry that provides a framework for sustainable development of the tourism industry. It offers ten general principles – that embrace the concerns of ecotourism, pro-poor tourism, and community-based tourism – and provides a single framework for the development and promotion of sustainable tourism. The ten articles of the code relate to :

- Tourism's contribution to mutual understanding and respect    between peoples and societies

- Tourism as a vehicle for individual and collective fulfillment

- Tourism, a factor of sustainable development

- Tourism, a user of the cultural heritage of mankind and contributor to    its enhancement

- Tourism, a beneficial activity for host countries and communities

- Obligations of stakeholders in tourism development

- The Right to tourism

- The Liberty of tourist movements

- The Rights of workers and entrepreneurs in the tourism industry

- The Implementation of the principles of the Global Code of Ethics for   Tourism

More information on the WTO’s code of ethics can be found at www.world-tourism.org