Training is high on the list of needs in the Lao tourist sector. At the present time there is no dedicated tourism and hotel training school in Laos - a request for funds to establish such a school has already been submitted to the Japanese government, but thus far no decision has been forthcoming. In the meantime the Tourism and Hospitality Training Centre of the Lao National Tourism Administration (LNTA) offers a range of tourism-related training courses which are designed to upgrade the knowledge and skills of those who work in tourism, including both the public and private sectors. Courses offered by the centre to date include 45-day tour guide training courses conducted at both national and provincial levels, through which some 752 tour guides have been trained; and eight-day hotel, guest house and restaurant training courses conducted in various provinces around the country, through which some 2,860 people have been trained in basic hotel and restaurant service skills. However, there remains a large gap between demand and supply.

At the time of going to press the Faculty of Social Sciences of the National University of Laos (NUOL) is developing the curriculum of a new five-year Bachelors degree programme in Tourism and Hotels. The Metropolitan University of London has also been involved in a EuropeAid-funded partnership with NUOL aimed at building research capacity in pro-poor tourism, and has submitted a bid in partnership with Laos to the European Commission's Asia-Links programme to support the development of an MA in Tourism and Economic Development at the University.