Korean investor sees rise of Asian tourists in Laos
Korean investor sees rise of Asian tourists in Laos
Laos has a remarkable tourism potential with many exciting places to visit due to the natural beauty of the landscape, the green scenario and the richness of its ecosystem; so it is a good opportunity to invest in the tourism sector, a Korean joint investor said.
“Vangvieng should be one of the more remarkable destinations with its greenery, pleasant weather and beautiful landscape where international visitors gather to spend time on a fantastic holiday,” Mr Yu Choe Hun, a joint owner of the Souksomboun guesthouse told Vientiane Times last Friday.
Investing 50 percent of the joint venture's capital to run a guesthouse service with local partners, Mr Hun also predicts that tourists from several Asian countries will increase year by year, mainly from China, the Republic of Korea and Japan.
Tourism officials have said Laos has witnessed a continuous growth in Korean tourists over recent years, with visitor numbers jumping from about 17,000 in 2009 to 34,000 in 2012.
“Currently, more Korean visitors and those from other Asian countries are coming to Vangvieng and other interesting places across Laos because of the beauty of the landscape,” Mr Hun said.
Last year, local authorities and the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism managed to shut down some entertainment venues which were operating after-hours and found to have been selling alcoholic d rinks mixed with hallucinogenic mushrooms.
Other activities such as the flying f ox swings into the river were also closed down. The authorities also encourage other safer alternative activities to boost the rise of both domestic and international tourists.
Mr Hun also said that it was the right decision by the auth orities and government to shut down various illegal operations of bars on the island and the flying fox swings along the Xong riverbank.
“Severa l cases of death and injury were indentified last year because of the illegal activities; however, the closing down of those unregulated operations will mean no more accidents,” he said.
Vangvieng District Tourism Office Head, Mr Bounpanh Phommavong, also said that many safe substitute activities are on offer, including activities such as zip-lining, tubing, kayaking and long-tailed boat rides.
“Flying fox swings and the water slides are permanently closed down because they pose a danger to visitors and a potential loss of property and tourists' lives,” he said.
The report from the district tourism office indicated that over the past six months, about 45 percent of tourists came from Asia, around 40 percent were from Europe and the other 15 percent came from other continents.
The tourists generated over 15 billion kip for the local economy, Mr Bounpanh said on Saturday.
vientiane times
