Thai political turmoil hurts Lao tourism industry
Thai political turmoil hurts Lao tourism industry
The number of tourists in Laos from the US and European Union has seen a minor drop due to the political turmoil in Thailand, according to a senior tourism official.
“Based on feedback from industry members, the current Bangkok crisis has affected long haul arrivals from Europe and the US as they usually fly into Laos via Bangkok,” Mr Saly Phimphinith told the Travel Trade Gazette at the Asean Tourism Forum 2014 in Malaysia this week.
Mr Saly, who is also Tourism Marketing Department Director General at the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, made the comment on Tuesday amid worries between tourism businesspeople that the ongoing political turmoil could have a negative impact on Laos.
He was unable to provide the exact number of US and European tourists who had cancelled trips to Laos due to the situation in Thailand during this high season. However, he said the Lao tourism industry had already felt some negative impact.
Many US and European tourists also buy package tours, which include visits to Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Once they cancel the trip to Thailand, they are forced to cancel their visits to the other Mekong nations as well.
Mr Saly said the number of tourist arrivals from Asia-Pacific nations such as China, Japan and South Korea has not been affected by the political turmoil in Thailand as tourists from these countries can fly directly into Laos from Kunming, Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi.
Lao airlines and other international airlines have established direct flights between Vientiane and major cities in China, Japan and South Korea as part of efforts to stop relying on Thai gateways because of the political uncertainty there. A few years ago a large number of tourists were forced to cancel trips to Laos when anti-Thai government protesters occupied Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok.
“Our Asian markets are growing faster than the European markets. Regional arrivals, especially from Thailand and Vietnam, are still increasing and will reach around a 20 percent growth over last year,” Mr Saly said.
The top three source markets for Laos are currently Thailand, Vietnam and China respectively.
Japan is an ‘emerging market' for Laos, despite there being no direct flights between the two countries, according to Mr Saly.
South Korean arrivals have surged 50 percent from 2012 to 2013, fostered by direct air links provided by national carrier Lao Airlines and South Korean LCC Jin Air, plus higher investment in Laos by South Korean companies, he commented.
The rising Korean tide propelled Lao Airlines to turn their chartered services between Vientiane and Incheon into a regular route in October 2013, with daily flights operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft, according to Ms Manivone Ratanavong, deputy director of the airline's commercial department.
“For South Korea, we have other chartered flights to Busan and Jeju, usually during the January/February and May-July period,” she said. “Hong Kong and Japan are the next cities on our network development strategy, but route expansion is currently limited until new aircraft arrive.
vientiane times
