The Boat Landing Guest House An Ecotourism business model

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The Boat Landing Guest HouseAn Ecotourism
business model

• Tourism can be a positive experience for all

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Background

• Location Ban Khone, Luang Namtha
• Opened in November 1999
• Lao Owned Family Business
• Owners Sompawn and Patsanee Khantisouk
• Built by the owners
• Employees Low season-12 High season 17
• No. of Rooms 10
• Total Occupancy 26 persons

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The Concept

• Local Atmosphere
• Natural Rural setting
• Traditional Style architecture
• Family-run business
• Local Flavor
• Photos of local people
• Traditional handicrafts for decoration
• Genuine Village style food in the restaurant
• Western Style comfort
• Bright rooms with good beds
• Clean Bathrooms with hot water
• Quiet relaxing surroundings
• Information on the area and activities available
• Benefits the local people and economy

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Who comes?
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Who are they?

• Mid to late career professionals
• University Educated
• Moderate to high income
• Time poor little time to travel
• Looking for a meaningful experience with locals

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How many guests in a year?
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Where do they come from?
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Where do they go to?
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When do they come?
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What do they do?

• Visit Ethnic villages
• Bicycle riding
• Boat trips
• Trekking
• Walks and market visits observing daily life
• Rafting
• Bird-watching

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How long do they stay?
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Classic Business Assumptions

• Profit
• must make profit as quickly as possible
• maximize profits in the short term
• business success is measured by financial bottom
  line
• Competition
• a race to beat the other guy
• desire to corner the market
• Only look after yourself
• Service
• service only to paying customers

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The Boat Landing Ecotourism Model

• There is a way to do business where everyone
  benefits
• Profit
• Triple bottom line
• social
• environmental
• financial
• long term view

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The Boat Landing Ecotourism Model

• Cooperative
• More water in the pond makes everyone's boat rise
• Work together with other businesses, service
  providers and gate keepers to attract business
• Develop products and services not provided by
  others
• Use products and services of others
• Consciously find ways for others to participate
  and to benefit
• Service
• Provide services that people really need
• Information, connections to businesses

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The Social Bottom Line How does the local
community profit?

• Hire Local People 17 of our staff come from the
  4 nearby villages
• Buy local goods and services
• Use local craftsman and skilled labor (
  carpenters, construction workers)
• Serve local food
• Buy local food products
• Buy from local merchants
• Support local handicrafts
• Support local service providers tour
  operations, drivers, boatmen, etc

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The Social Bottom Line How does the local
community profit?
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The Social Bottom Line How does the local
community profit?

• Travel Philanthrophy
• School fund 1,500
• Black Cheeked Gibbon Fund 1000
• Personal Contacts
• Knowledge Exchange
• Preservation of skills, culture and traditions (
  music, clothes, building techniques)
• Cross-cultural understanding

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Environmental Bottom Line How does the
environment profit?

• Efficient use of Natural Resources
• Solar power
• Energy saving devices ( lights, switches, etc)
• Water saving devices
• Reduced Solid Waste
• Recycling
• Using other materials
• Composting
• Education
• Boat Races Clean up the World
• World Wildlife Day/ Arbor Day
• Educational materials for guests
• Networking ( WCS, Green Discovery, UNCS)

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Financial Bottom Line How do we profit?

• Our income will exceed our expenses over the long
  term when we take care of the environment and the
  communities that our customers want to visit and
  provide opportunities for our customers to
  contribute to their welfare while having a
  meaningful, personal experience.

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How do you know that we are sincere?

• Certification
• Social Commitment
• Environmental Commitment
• Sustainibility

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Social Commitment

• Number of locally employed staff
• Percentage of Expenses entering local economy
• Activities with local community organizations
• Develop social sustainibility policy

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Environmental Commitment

• Achieve best practice standards for
• Energy comsumption
• Use of biodegradable chemicals
• Reducation fo Solid waste
• Biodiversity conservation
• Water management
• Environmental Policy and Action Plan

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How do we benefit?

• The Challenge of meeting a standard
• We must make a truly sincere effort
• Reputation
• Credibility in the market
• Press Exposure

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What are the Challenges?

• Bills craziness staff appreciating the
  importance of this work
• Collecting the data weighing garbage
• Techincal documents and English
• Lack of ecolable products
• Standards designed for developed countries with
  environmental standards

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Marketing How to find the customers you want?

• Build on the exisiting market Budget travelers
• Word of mouth
• Gatekeepers

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How to really get the customers you want!

• Internet, internet, internet
• Go directly to your market and give them the
  information and contacts that they need
• Sell your area and you sell yourself
• Give them alternative options, then they will
  believe that you are not only out to get their
  money but providing a service
• For transport
• Accommodation
• Activities

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How to guaruntee that you get the customers you
want?

• Give them the confidence that you will be able to
  provide them with the experience that they want
• Be knowledgable about what want people can do
  information, information, information
• Get a sense of what is right for this person
• Answer your email quickly and fully
• Do hestitate to provide information on services
  from which you wont benefit
• Sincerity, sincerity, sincerity

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Where do we go from here?

• Help communities to develop their own tourism
  businesses
• They provide the experience, we the market
• A mutually beneficial relationship
• Support Luang Namthas 1 tourist attraction The
  Nam Ha NPA
• Develop different types of wilderness experiences
  ( bird-watching, forest stays, wildlife surveys)

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Come and visit us sometime!

• Thank You!