Jun 27, 20193 min read

Ecotourism in Laos : ORLA Tours is committed to develop a sustainable tourism

Updated: Jul 24, 2020

Ecotourism, what it is ? Simply said, it is about responsible tourism, respectful of the environment, local communities and their culture. And that's the heart of our tours. ORLA Tours has always made the choice to respect these values. Our aim? To offer you fair travels, helping the development of the country and preserving the Laotian traditions. How do we do that? This is what this article is all about. Enjoy the reading !

What is the concept of « ecotourism » ?

Let's start by briefly defining ecotourism. Since the 70s, a new approach of travelling has emerged. Result of a collective awareness, it faces the negative impacts related to the development of our consuming society.

The concept of ecotourism is therefore a response to the current environmental and socio-economic issues.

It includes 4 major axes :

- Environmental

- Economic

- Socio-cultural

- Ethic

Its goal is to limit the carbon footprint of tourism, protect wildlife and native culture. It respects human rights, a fair remuneration for each and the development of local economies. The goal of this concept is to reach a sustainable situation within each of these aspects.

ORLA Tours has defined its way of working according to these principles to provide eco-friendly trips. We offer you to learn a little bit more about our values and initiatives.

Our commitment to environnement

In Laos, ecological awareness is almost non-existent. Selective sorting and recycling are not mandatory, and most of the waste is burned. We want to contribute to the respect and preservation of the environment. That's why during our tours, we provide each participant a reusable metal canteen. We hope to reduce our consumption of plastic waste.

We pay our local partners fairly

By comparing the prices of our trips with those from our competitors, you will realize that they are often higher. And there is an excellent reason for that! We do our best to develop fair conditions of working for all our local partners. We have a long-term relationship of trust with them. We consider that lowering the cost of a trip leads to the exploitation of locals and the loss of quality in our circuits. Your guide, your driver, the restaurants and hotels, the inhabitants ... who invest themselves to guarantee you a dream trip, deserve to be well paid.

Ethic at the heart of our tours

In all our tours, you will have several opportunities to meet Laotian ethnic groups and discover their culture. A stay overnight in a tribe village is one of Laos must-do activities for an authentic immersion. We have been working in partnership with different villages and tribes for several years. Agreements exist between us and different ethnic groups in order to preserve and avoid the industrialization of their culture. We are therefore able to guarantee you the authenticity of their daily lives and customs that you will discover.

These partnerships encourage the long-term economic development of these villages while respecting their ancestral values. They will introduce you to their local crafts: pottery, weaving, etc. And you will have the opportunity to bring back some with you as a souvenir.

Our agency ORLA Tours supports the association Children of Laos

Despite the economic benefits that we bring to isolated villages, many of them remain in a precarious situation. We wanted to do more to help these people.

Our company is therefore committed to pay € 10 per traveler to the association "Children of Laos" which we sponsor since its creation. That helps them a lot in their actions and operations that support access to education in remote villages of rural areas. They aim to offer children the opportunity to choose a different future than working in rice fields.

This commitment is particularly important to us. We also organize crowdfunding campaigns and donations. School supplies, clothing, hygiene stuff, books and toys are available to those who need them most. We also commit ourselves not to encourage begging of children in villages by following a strict donation protocol.

>> If you want to support the organization Enfants du Laos, you can donate here.

Traveling with ORLA Tours is the guarantee of a human, respectful and responsible experience. Whether in Laos, Thailand, Burma or Cambodia, we defend these values of exchange, sharing and respect with local ethnic groups. If you share our approach of tourism, then do not hesitate to contact us. And let's organize your next adventure together !