Lao Air back to Singapore

VIENTIANE, 1 August 2017: Lao Airlines will relaunch a flight between Vientiane and Singapore starting 29 October.

According to the airline website, the route will be operated with three weekly flights Wednesday, Friday and Sunday using an Airbus A320.

Earlier this year Lao Airlines halted direct flights from Vientiane to Singapore without giving any credible reasons according to Vientiane Times. Read more

Laos studies potential tourist sites

SAVANNAKHET, 13 July 2017: Savannakhet province, in central Laos bordering Thailand, plans to develop Xe Salalong reservoir, in Thapangthong district, as a new tourist destination.

Lao News Agency reported the Savannakhet Information Culture and Tourism Department joined forces with authorities from Thapangthong district to survey Xe Salalong reservoir to collect information and identify possible tourist attractions.

The survey identified sites at the reservoir for a tourist service centre, a boat marina, a protected nature park, a community handicraft centre and a parking area for buses and cars. Read more

Lao Airlines shares for sale?

VIENTIANE, 11 July 2017: Lao government says it is ready to recruit new stakeholders for Lao Airlines as part of its efforts to overhaul state-owned enterprises.

Vientiane Times quoted government spokesperson, Chaleun Yiapaoher, saying foreign airlines with “appropriate credentials” were welcome to joint venture with the Lao national flag carrier.

“The government’s intention is not to sell [the whole enterprise], but to seek overseas airline shareholders.” Read more

Visit Year to revive Lao tourism

VIENTIANE, 28 June 2017: Laos is preparing to launch its “Visit Laos Year 2018” to promote the tourism industry and revive interest in the country at a time when visits are declining.

Lao News Agency quoted Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism’s Tourism Marketing Department general director, Sounh Manivong, said the Visit Laos Year 2018 launch would take place this November to coincide with the That Luang festival.

Well-known celebrations in each province of Laos will be highlighted at the launch ceremony including the Blossom Festival in Bokeo, the Elephant Festival in Sayaboury, and the Lao New Year celebration in Luang Prabang. Read more

Vang Vieng to upgrade standards

VIENTIANE, 16 June 2017: Vang Vieng’s tourism authorities will improve the standard of attractions, facilities and services to make the travel experience more rewarding.

Vientiane Times quoted a provincial Information, Culture and Tourism Department official, Boualy Milattanapheng, saying authorities will upgrade tourist attractions, while also implementing service training to meet international standards as the country prepares for Visit Laos Year 2018.

“The department is ranking hotels and guesthouses standards from one to five stars, as well as offering hotel and guesthouse staff training.” Read more

Luang Prabang bucks travel trend

LUANG PRABANG, 14 June 2017: Lao PDR’s World Heritage town Luang Prabang bucked the country’s negative trend in tourist arrivals in 2016 delivering a 5.88% increase, the town’s tourism department reported on the sidelines of the Mekong Tourism Forum last week.

Addressing a press conference, Luang Prabang deputy director Department of Information, Culture and Tourism, Soudaphone Khomthavong, said the destination continues to see positive results during the first quarter of this year, the only province to do so.

Overall, Laos closed 2016 with 4.68 million tourist arrivals, down 12.66% from 4.23 million in 2015. The last time the country saw its tourist arrivals dip was in 2001 and again in 2003. The drop in 2001 was blamed on the terror attack in the US and in 2003 on the SARS epidemic in Asia. Read more

Two-way talk on tourism

VIENTIANE, 7 June 2017: Travel operators in Laos will continue to request the Thai government to extend opening hours at shared border checkpoints to promote two way tourism.

According to the Lao National News Agency the initial request was made to Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Minister, Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, last month during a joint Lao PDR-Thailand meeting on tourism.

Lao tour operators want the border to remain open until midnight rather than the present closing time of 2200. Read more

MTF: Meet the destination

LUANG PRABANG, 7 June 2017: The Mekong Tourism Forum 2017, kicked off this morning at the Central Bank building, Luang Prabang.

Hosted by the Provincial Government of Luang Prabang, a famed UNESCO World Heritage town, the MTF attracted over 200 travel executives and leaders from the Mekong Region.

The event is an annual gathering of leaders from the six country grouping that represents tourism in Cambodia, China (Yunnan and Guang Xi provinces) Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Read more

China-Lao rail gathers steam

LUANG PRABANG, 7 June 2017: A fast rail line from China to Laos will run straight through Luang Prabang, Lao PDR’s famed World Heritage town, when it opens December 2021.

Officials confirmed late last month that the construction of the Laos-China railway is gathering steam as teams bore and drill foundations at 75 tunnel and 167 bridge locations on a route that will stretch 414 km from end-to-end.

The line crosses the China-Lao border with major rail stations planned for Luang Namtha, 360 km northeast of Lao capital, Luang Prabang and Vientiane where it will eventually merge with a line crossing into Thailand at Nong Khai. Read more

Laos visits drop 12%

VIENTIANE, 6 June 2017: Lao PDR’s Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism reports the country attracted 1.11 million international tourists during January to March, this year, a decrease of 12% from 1.24 million visits during the same period last year.

The official Lao News Agency reported the first quarter of 2017 saw 763,000 visits from ASEAN markets, which represented an 11% decrease when compared with 866,000 visits in the first quarter of 2016.

Tourists from Europe recorded almost 60,000 down 29% followed by almost 20,000 visits from the Americas (-30%) and 2,100 visits from Africa and the Middle East (-29%). Read more

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