Ecotourism in Laos

Tourism in Laos is a fairly new and fast growing part of the Lao economy. Whle traveling throughout northern Laos we have encountered different ways in which the villages and Lao people handle this new form of income. In Vang Vieng, a short 3-4 hour drive from the capital, the Lao harness the fast flowing Nam Song river for tourist activities, including tubing, water swinging, Beer Lao, partying and having a "happy" time.

Up north, further from the capital, the situation is different. With almost 50 different ethnic groups and vast forest and wildlife, you can find isolated villages that can be reached only by boat. This isolation manages to preserve a very healthy ecosystem. As means to sustain this ecosystem, the Nam Tha province started a successful ecotourism project in 1999. Ecotourism is defined by the Lao national tourism administration as: "tourism activity in rural and protected areas that minimize negative impacts and is directed towards the conservation of natural and cultural resources. Rural socio-economic development and visitor understanding of, and appreciation for, the places they are visiting."

The guidelines for ecotourism are simple and follow common sense. Some examples

* Don't buy products sold by children. That only encourages child labor.

* Don't give candy or anything to children or they will learn to beg and skip school.

We have actually seen this in action at a bus stop when a foreigner gave a child a cookie and within moments the place was filled with puppy-eyed children surrounding us all.

My scientific method of determining to what extend a village embraces the principles of ecotourism is counting the livestock. The more chickens, ducks, cows, pigs and dogs a village has, the happier the villagers are. A good example of this would be the village Mong Gnoi. Although tourism is probably the main source of income, the traditional trades were not forgotten. So if something were to happen to tourism in Laos, the village would still be able to support itself. In places like Mong Gnoi and Nam Tha we saw adults singing, 4-5 year old children taking a boat out on the river by themselves and enjoying a very Lao-layed back way of life.

An example of a place where ecotourism was not in the forefront of Lao minds is Muang Sing. Upon arrival, we were bombarded by old women and children pushing their merchandise in our faces and we encountered many begging children in the surrounding villages.

When traveling in rural areas, one must decide what kind of tourist he is interested in being: one who learns from his surroundings and has his surroundings learn from him or one who sees the villagers as animals in a cage and the villagers see him as a walking ATM.