This project explored the earnings of the poor from tourism in Luang Prabang, Laos , and how they could be increased. It developed techniques to map the tourism economy across the 4 major components of the tourism value chain – accommodation, food, shopping and excursions. The findings highlight key parts of the value chain, particularly food and crafts, where the poor are participating and could benefit more.

The work was commissioned by SNV Netherlands Development Organisation from the Overseas Development Institute. SNV wished for an analysis of the Luang Prabang tourism economy to assist them and their partners, the Provincial Tourism Office of Luang Prabang, in making pro-poor interventions, and specifically to consider what more should be done beyond rural tourism. Thus this report contains a host of recommendations for practitioners in Luang Prabang. But as one of the first example of mapping the tourism value chain within a destination from a pro-poor perspective, the methods and findings are relevant to practitioners internationally.