Lao Eyes Billion Dollars in Tourism Revenue by 2020:

Laos' travel industry could generate more than double 2010's USD400 million in revenue to hit USD1 billion within 10 years, Lanith Chief Technical Advisor Peter Semone told attendees at Lanith's (Lao National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality) 3rd Quarterly Symposium.

Mr Semone called on tourism strategist Thomas Cullen PhD's "future-gazing" skills to draw the map needed to reach the goal at the event held at Vientiane's Settha Palace on 16 May.

The former Cornell School of Tourism and Hospitality professor and tourism futurist, Dr Cullen said the target was within reach if the industry stays abreast of changing demand and focuses on niche markets and experiential holidays.

Mr Semone said realizing a substantial leap in tourism revenue, Laos' second-largest foreign revenue earner behind minerals "is not only about increasing arrivals. That's just a third of it. We need to increase the average length of stay and daily spend."

He added, "Lanith's contribution is to significantly improve service quality to better position Laos for attracting quality tourists."

Dr Cullen agreed, stating, "Human resources are at the heart of how we create value."

He told the gathering of public and private sector tourism experts that tourists only spend about "four-to-six hours a day looking at what they came to see. That leaves eight to 10 hours to fill with activities such as shopping, dining, and entertainment," and he added, "Most spending takes place after 6:00 pm."

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