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Teamworkz provides a wide range of professional services designed to help companies, NGOs and Government agencies involved with the tourism sector to successfully achieve their short, medium and long-term goals.

A new facet of tourism is emerging in the Lao P.D.R. One which is sustainable, environmentally and culturally responsible, and characterized by flexibility and choice. Today's tourist is driving this by being a better educated, more experienced and independent traveler. They are environmentally-aware, respectful of cultures and demanding value for money.

The internet is opening up a huge variety of travel options for this new tourist. To remain competitive, tourism providers and other stakeholders must adapt. For many, the challenge is to reinvent tourism through market intelligence, operational efficiency and customer service. These are today's new challenges.

Worldwide, NGOs and donor agencies have tried to work with local people, identifying their needs and supplying them with what they want. But without private sector input, the sustainability of these supply-based initiatives can be questionable. Associating the private sector is one of the keys to unlocking the potential of local communities in the tourism industry. It may be a good idea to set up tourism operations in a village, but if you involve a private sector specialist in the project, you can help ensure that the products suit the needs of the market, that the village chosen is in an optimal location, and that it has the services guests are looking for. Where tour companies assist a community project (such as Wildside Eco Group providing rafting in the Nam Ha NBCA), this can go a long way to ensuring its prolonged success and sustainability (the company then advertises the project to its guests).

There are a number of ways in which the private sector can support community involvement in tourism. These include:

•  advertising community products and services;
•  sourcing goods and services from the community (e.g. eggs, bread);
•  providing training and "mentoring";
•  out-sourcing certain services (laundry, gardening, water sports);
•  employing persons (e.g. guides) as free agents, to build entrepreneurship;
•  ensuring that community services are employed in building and construction;
•  training and skills transfer;
•  employing people from surrounding communities;
•  identifying key opportunities for local producers and artisans (e.g. fresh herbs, organic vegetables and handicrafts);
•  introducing new services to guests (e.g. cooking classes for the preparation of local food, local language training, story-telling, traditional games, catch and release fishing);
•  identifying career opportunities for locals;

The managerial team at Teamworkz has extensive experience of developing, operating and marketing ecotourism within Laos from a private sector background. Please click on the links for some examples of the services Teamworkz offers which may be of benefit to your organization. For more information or if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us on info@twclaos.com . Please note that our services are designed specifically to supplement efforts that NGOs are currently employing from a private sector perspective.