River bridge makes progress

The construction of the third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, linking Khammuan province in central Laos to Nakhon Phanom province in Thailand in the upper northeast region is now five months ahead of schedule.

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Luang Prabang airport upgrade

Work on upgrading Luang Prabang Airport, announced last year,  will start this month and should be ready by 2013.

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Five stars for Lao Plaza Hotel

Lao National Tourism Administration, under the Prime Minister’s Office, officially recognised the Lao Plaza Hotel in Vientiane as the first five-star hotel in Laos, earlier this month.

There have been properties in the past that declared five-star status, but none have been officially recognised or granted a five-star rating by LNTA.

Lao Plaza was the first hotel in Vientiane to cater to international leisure and business travellers. Since its opening in 1997, it has undergone various upgrades to ensure its 142 rooms, including 20 suites, are maintained to an international standard. The property has seven conference rooms including the Vientiane Grand Ballroom, which can seat 300 guests.

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Audio tour of Viengxay caves

Viengxay’s historical caves, where a Lao government ruled in exile during the Second Indochina War, has a new audio tour feature that was launched earlier this month.

The audio presentation helps to bring alive history played out in this remote corner of Indochina during the America’s ’secret war’ in Laos.

Between 1964 and 1973 the US, which was at war with North Vietnam,  dropped more bombs on neighbouring Laos than were dropped on Europe in the whole of World War II. The military onslaught was never officially recognised by the US government.  One of the targets was Viengxay where the Pathet Lao established a government in a maze of limestone caves.

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Lao PDR launches national tourism HRD strategy

The Lao National Tourism Organisation (LNTA) made a major step forward earlier this month with the launch of a national tourism Human Resources Development (HRD) strategy that promotes building a highly trained and competent labour force to deliver “high quality” service to tourists.

“I am convinced that by strengthening the institutional cooperative frameworks and technical capacity of our people we can improve service quality in our tourism industry which will have the end result of expanding opportunities for employment and profit making in this dynamic sector and establishing mechanisms for sustaining our fragile ecosystems, heritage and culture”, Mr. Somphong Mongkhonvilay, Minister and Chairman of the LNTA, said at the November 2 opening ceremony attended by Lao tourism officials, local stakeholders and international guests. Read more

Pakse Airport remains closed

Lao Airlines’ Bangkok office says Pakse Airport should reopen to air traffic, 25 October, according to a notice issued by the Lao aviation authorities on the status of an airport upgrade.

Pakse Airport’s runway has been extended to accommodate larger aircraft and improvements have been made to the airport terminal and back-up services.

A TTR Weekly reader requested information on the airport’s status, last Friday, after contradictory information suggested the airport might not open until early December, while other sources said flights would resume in November, or as early as this month.

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Koreans make aviation bid in Laos

A Korean company is keen to establish a new airline in Laos, according to reports in a local Vientiane newspaper, 3 August, that quotes Lao Civil Aviation Department director general, Yakua Lopangkao.

He told local media that the Korean owned Booyong Company wants to establish an aviation company in Laos to offer commercial airline services.

According to the report the government has urged relevant sectors, including the ministries of Public Works and Transport and Planning and Investment, to facilitate the Korean company’s bid.

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World conference falls short of expectations

World Ecotourism Conference turns into a one-off venture for Lao hosts.

Laos hosted its first world ecotourism conference, last week, but its success was muted by a low turnout of buyers and media.

Delegates lists handed out at the end of the conference in Vientiane, 15 to 17 July, indicated that it was attended by mostly government officials, consultants, academics and representatives of aid agencies working in Laos as well as international associations like Pata.

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Caravan rolls out in Laos

LNTA organises a caravan to promote travel to Viengxay.

Laos is organising a domestic caravan to promote tourist attractions in Viengxay, Houaphan province in the far northeast of the country.

Lao National Tourism Administration director general, Saly Phimphinth, said the authority is trying to boost domestic travel in Laos, by supporting festivals and organising travel activities, nationwide.  But festivals and events will also help to boost awareness in regional markets too, he noted. Read more

Luang Prabang arrival 1Q

World heritage town enjoys a strong first quarter but worries remain due to global recession.

Luang Prabang visitors increased 18% in the first quarter, but the future trend is still in doubt.

The recent data from Lao National Tourism Administration shows that during January to March in this year, Luang Prabang welcomed 22,973 arrivals or an 18% increase from 19,450 arrivals in the same period last year. Read more

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