Passion of a young Thai woman with developing cultural tourism business
As working with Muong Lay Women’s Association to choose a group of local SGBs for developing a pilot cooperative/collective business model, we were introduced to Mrs. Lo Thi Toan, a young entrepreneur who is offering homestay and cultural tour services in the town. Muong Lay is an old town with very few on-going business activities and never a tourist attraction spot. Compliments for her from the local officials and people triggered our curiosity and took us to see her at her place.
Toan has a nice stilt house by the bank of Da river. She told us she invested in the house a few years ago to run a café-restaurant-homestay. Her business idea came after she had experienced different jobs but never felt content with any of them. While seeking an income-generating activity in the hometown, Toan observed that there wasn’t any hotel/motel in the town to serve visitors, motorbike riders, backpackers passing there on their journey to discover the Northwest region, Toan took this opportunity to start her business. As a dynamic and sensible woman, she learnt from the social network about an emerging trend of cultural tourism. She discussed with other friends who are producing traditional Thai goodies and costumes to cooperate to organize food and cultural tours for guests who stay in her motel.
Toan’s business is currently at the early stage of development, she is trying to promote her services through different channels, especially online marketing to reach out to more tourists out of the region. Her homestay hosts on average 20 guests per month, give a stable income for her family. She convinced some other households in her neighborhood to cooperate in providing homestay services when she had a big guest group.
Toan has never taken any training courses about tourism or business management but through the way she set up her business, we know that she has a mindset of a businesswoman with a very admirable entrepreneurship and leadership. She told humbly during conversation “I want to learn more about hospitality services management and learn more online marketing tools to advertise my services more effectively. I would appreciate it if the project could help me to boost my business “.
Toan’s business idea is well deserved to get stimulated as it creates local economic activities as well as promote the traditional Thai culture.