Tourists spending on the up in Luang Prabang
Tourists spending on the up in Luang Prabang
Tourists' spending in Luang Prabang province during the Lao New Year holiday has increased every year in line with the larger number of tourist arrivals, authorities reported.
Over the Pi Mai Lao holiday week last year tourists' spending reached around US$22 million, the provincial Information, Culture and Tourism Department Deputy Director, Ms Soudaphone Khomthavong reported yesterday.
This year, spending from April 12-19 is expected to have increased to around US$26 million,
Ms Soudaphone told Vientiane Times that the numbers of visitors this year increased about 13 percent on the previous year, from 30,583 visitors to 34,692 this year.
Most of the visitors were Lao and most of them visited Kouangsy Waterfall as the weather was hot, she explained.
From April 13-17, some 17,700 visitors travelled to the Kouangsy waterfall just outside the town of Luang Prabang.
Ms Soupaphone believed that as a heritage town the number of visitors to Luang Prabang and also their spending in the province will continue to increase over the coming years.
During the Pi Mai Lao holidays, the number of Lao visitors to the province was high, while the numbers of foreign tourists is usually high as well during this season, Ms Soudaphone said.
In Luang Prabang, Pi Mai Lao is the most exciting event of the year. In response to the increasing number of visitors, the provincial authorities have encouraged tourist operators to expand services at guesthouses, restaurants and hotels to cater to demand.
In 2013, the number of overseas visitors to Luang Prabang reached 343,000 people.
In 2014, more than 390,000 people visited the province, generating over (US$150 million) for the local economy, up 16 percent from 2013.
Th e province has set an ambitious goal for tourist arrivals to hit the 500,000 mark this year.
At present, there are 228 officially designated tourist sites in Luang Prabang province, including many temples, caves, and waterfalls.
An increase in the population and a rise in people's income meant that nationwide public spending during the recent Lao New Year holiday increased by about 10 percent over last year, according to a Lao economist.
Most of the additional spending went on food, drinks and transport, said Director General of the National Economic Research Institute, Dr Leeber Leebouapao.
Because of the longer holiday this year more people than before travelled to destinations outside their normal place of residence, resulting in a rise in the demand for accommodation, food and other services as well as a spike in fuel consumption, she added.
