Vangvieng to reopen after Nam Xong floods
Vangvieng to reopen after Nam Xong floods
Laos' well-known adventure destination Vangvieng district in Vientiane province expects to resume regular activities along the Xong River following the recent flooding.
Some of the guesthouses and bungalows close to the river affected by the flooding are looking forward to reopening with water levels continuing to drop.
Head of the Vangvieng district Tourism Office, Mr Bounmy Phommasa, said yesterday that on Monday the water level peaked at 4.2 metres, above the flood warning level of 3.5 metres.
Mr Bounmy said the Nam Xong often flooded during the rainy season, before dropping two or three days later, with restaurants, bungalows and resorts mopping up before resuming business.
At present, the office is ordering tour companies to stop activities such as tubing, kayaking, and boat tours along the Nam Xong in the interests of safety, but he expected river activities to return to normal over the next couple of days.
Mr Bounmy believed the flooding wouldn't have any long-term effects on tourist arrivals to the town, with Vangvieng having seen a steady increase in visitor numbers over the first six months of this year.
The district's tourism sector can thank the growing number of tour groups from Asia for the 45 percent increase, with more Korean, Chinese, and Thai visitors coming to the town.
Korean tourist numbers especially have increased, up 60 percent year on year in 2014 and 30 percent in 2013.
European visitors were also up 45 percen t and those from other countries 10 percent, which showed the town's tourism industry growing strongly.
Vangvieng is expecting to welcome 180,000 tourists by the end of this year.
The office is also working to improve services and tourist attractions, such as allowing more restaurants to open along the Xong River.
The office is also planning to open a zip-line at Tham Lom cave, to go along w ith other adventure activities such as tubing, kayaking, climbing, cycling, trekking, boat trips and qua d bike riding.
These activities will increase the number of attractions on offer, helping to draw even more tourists to Vangvieng and boost business in the years ahead.
