Thailand
Lao ride-hailing service app set to be featured at Mekong start-up meet
A ride-hailing service operating in Laos will be represented at the Mekong Innovation Startup in Tourism (Mist) meeting in Thailand this week.
LOCA, a Lao start-up and a major player in the ride-hailing business in Laos, has been selected to represent Laos in the final pitching competition at Mist on October 8-9 in Bangkok.
LOCA co-founder and chief technical officer Souliyo Vongdala last week said tourism is a major contributor to gross domestic product and that innovative start-ups will help attract more tourists to Laos thanks to the convenient services they provide.
“For example, LOCA has helped many tourists to get around Vientiane easily and safely. During the day and night, tourists are confident about using LOCA as a means of transport,” he explained.
There are two ride-hailing services in Laos – LOCA and DriveUp, which was launched in Vientiane on September 30 by Cambodian tech start-up Meal Temple Group. These were recently launched and it is expected there will be more in the future.
LOCA is the major ride-hailing service application in Laos and has been operating since early last year. It has the largest network of more than 300 cars in Vientiane and plans to expand.
The business has grown by 10-30 per cent month-on-month since the service began last year. The app is a new tool that tourists can rely on.
Ride hailing services use online-enabled platforms to connect between passengers and local drivers using their personal vehicles. In most cases they are a comfortable method for door-to-door transport.
In its third year and with hundreds of alumni, Mekong Innovative Startups in Tourism is jointly managed by the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office and the Mekong Business Initiative.
The initiative is supported by the Australian government and the Asian Development Bank, and organised by UN World Tourism Organisation affiliate member Chameleon Strategies.
The Mist meeting will be held in Bangkok alongside a new event – the Travel Startups Asia Forum.
Mist finalists represent two categories – travel tech ventures and social impact enterprises.
The LOCA app will be in the travel tech ventures category along with four similar services – Ticket 2 Asia from Cambodia, Get Ride from Myanmar, Golf Digg from Thailand, and Go Eat Me from Vietnam.
VIENTIANE TIMES