Laos through my eyes – Kate Hall

This article is part of a series of guest blogs contributed by Brits who have lived and worked in Laos, or who have other interesting links to Laos.

I moved to Laos from the UK 6 months ago with my partner James. We both work in the travel  industry and Laos offered us the opportunity to work in a location where tourism is still very much developing and arguably in its infancy.

My background is high end, bespoke travel, and Laos is essentially an ideal candidate for this, the luxury market is developing and it offers a chance for travellers to get off the beaten track – a little more difficult in surrounding countries.

When I first arrived in Laos I didn’t have a job, but within a month I was offered a position at Exotissimo Travel.

Exotissimo is a Destination Management Company, which organizes tailor made travel arrangements, group travel and incentive trips on behalf of travel agents and tour operators across the globe.

The company I worked for  in the UK, used Exotissimo as their Destination Management Company, so I was very comfortable with their work. Exotissimo has a presence in several different countries in Asia, including Vietnam and China.

My job is Direct Sales and Marketing Manager, and what I do is manage a sales team who tend to all direct enquiries that come to Exotissimo directly and not through our partners.

My team is predominantly Lao, which is an incredible experience for me, but at the same time challenging. My position is varied and far reaching. In any one day I can be training the team, designing magazine advertisements, or arranging trips myself.

From our office in Vientiane we can arrange trips to anywhere in the world. The job also enables me to travel, which is the main reason why I chose Laos as a destination.

In the past 6 months I have visited destinations all over Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and in a few weeks I will be going to Cambodia. Vientiane’s central location, and my apartment’s vicinity to the airport, make this all a little too easy!