Lao handicraft festival targets tourist market

The nine-day festival, with the theme "Promote Lao Handicrafts through Tourism", was officially opened on Tuesday, co-organised by the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Lao Handicraft Association. Mrs Nali Sisoulith, the wife of Prime Minister Thonglou Sisoulith and honorary adviser to the Lao Handicraft Association; Mrs Khemmani Pholsena, Minister of Industry and Commerce; Mrs Chanthachone Vongsay, Vice President of the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry; ministers and deputy ministers, ambassadors, and representatives of international organisations attended the opening ceremony.

The objective of the handicraft festival is to provide a platform for artisans across the country to showcase regional products and publicise and sell them to visitors. The festival is also an opportunity for artisans to meet and discuss their experiences and handicraft production, including the challenges and difficulties they face in making their various products and getting them to the market, said the President of the Lao Handicraft Association, Mr Hansana Sisane. The event serves to raise public awareness of the importance of preserving and promoting local handicrafts and culture, he added. 

The festival has been organised every year since 2001, with this year's event being the 19th edition. Mr Hansana said the Lao Handicraft Association had actively promoted the skills of artisans along with handicraft products to ensure the items that were made could be sold. In addition, handicraft makers were encouraged to produce goods that were attractive to tourists, to ensure the stability of handicraft production. Products on display included attractive goods made of silk, cotton, bamboo, rattan, and silver, as well as pottery and food items. The festival also features product demonstrations, a booth contest, handicraft seminar, daily fashion shows, and performances by schoolchildren. 

Information source: Vientiane Times.