ລາວ
Where hospitality meets innovation
A new but ambitious entrant in the Lao tourism market, CK Travel is a company that aims to revolutionize travel within the country by offering an array of customized services for every kind of traveler. So, whether you are a budget backpacker, an eco-conscious tourist, or a luxury traveler, CK Travel has got you covered.
The brainchild of entrepreneurs Chris Barth and Kevyn McGraw, who have lived in Laos for 16 years and 12 years respectively, CK Travel’s tagline, “Relax, we got it”, aptly sums up the extensive list of services the company wants to provide an increased number of travelers expected next year during Laos’ ASEAN Chairmanship and Visit Laos Year 2024.
“Since we have lived in Laos for a long time, we hoped to address the gaps in the country’s tourism sector that can be improved. Through CK Travel, we want to promote the hospitality of Lao people and Lao hotels internationally and be the link between the services that exist here already and the tourists that are coming,” says Kevyn, who is also the founder of ASEAN Contact Center, a call center development company with over 350 staff, servicing customers from Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and Brunei.
To ensure seamless travel and stay even in the most remote locations, CK Travel has become the first Affiliate Partner of Agoda in Laos, to personally certify and list less traveled destinations on their website (www.cktravel.vip), which might not be available directly on Agoda.
“We will also have a 24/7 helpline number, accessible across multiple mobile messaging apps like WhatsApp, Line, Kakao, and WeChat, to offer live translations for foreigners across eight different languages, while they are traveling around the country,” says Chris, who also runs the company Chris Barth Expat & Visa Services, offering documentation and visa services to expats and companies in Laos since 2012.
Additionally, CK Travel has already appointed representatives in seven cities spread across the country namely Vientiane Capital, Houay Xai (Bokeo), Luang Prabang, Phonsavanh (Xieng Khouang), Vang Vieng (Vientiane Province), Thakhek (Khammouane) and Pakse (Champasak), to provide tourists with special access to CK-certified local tours and events that they might not know of otherwise.
“Unifying the traditional physical model of travel agencies in Laos, with our online and social presence, we also wanted travelers to be able to meet a real person settled and well informed about Laos’ most traveled provinces to know what’s available to see locally and discuss cool tours, events, local live music, which we recommend as the most interesting and safe things to do in the area,” adds Kevyn.
Alongside providing full support to tourists with varied budgets, like five-star hotels, private jets for the luxury traveler, or nationwide charter flights for groups of up to 10 people to visit heritage destinations in no time, CK Travel will also provide quality medical insurance for its customers which covers both land and air evacuation in case of an emergency.
Chris informs, “Even for those already traveling with insurance, it might not cover medical evacuation. Hence, we will provide affordable insurance options that will ensure a prompt medical evacuation to Thailand, in case of a health emergency.”
The entrepreneurs feel that although inflation is currently skyrocketing in the country, it’s a good time for foreign tourists to visit since their money will now get them further in Laos.
“It’s fair to say that it is an advantage for a tourist, enabling one to see much more of this beautiful country, and CK Travel is here to provide you with all the information and all support you need,” says Kevyn.
Following the CK Travel website’s official launch in November, the company will aspire to curate even more unique experiences for visitors in the future like collaborating with a village to help them experience authentic rural life in Laos and expanding to more physical locations. Most importantly, the enthusiastic founders want to keep learning from their mistakes and continuously improve on the experience that they have set out to build.
“Laos may not have beaches but it has beautiful rivers, villages, wonderful people, and much better infrastructure than it did 10 years ago. It is a laidback and safe place and through our company, we want to make it easy and accessible for tourists to experience the natural beauty of this country and the wholehearted nature of Lao people which is just unique and so special,” concludes Chris.
“we hoped to address the gaps in the country’s tourism sector that canbe improved.”
MORE INFO
For bookings or more information, visit cktravel.vip
Text BY Amrita Paul
PHOTOGRAPHS BY Chris Barth