Nam Ngum reservoir enjoys tourist resurgence
Nam Ngum reservoir enjoys tourist resurgence
The Nam Ngum reservoir in Vientiane province is attracting increasing numbers of investors with more domestic and foreign tourists visiting the area last year.
According to staff at the Vientiane provincial Information, Culture and Tourism Department, the number of people visiting the province exceeded 500,000 in 2015.
Most visitors to the province head for the tourist hotspot of Vangvieng, but it is expected that the huge reservoir will draw an increasing number of tourists over the next two years.
The expected influx comes as new investors are building more facilities and infrastructure which will provide additional services and amenities for tourists.
New hotels and resorts are under construction, as well as boat services.
Owner of the Lao Sea Restaurant, Mr Amphone Silapaseuth, told the Vientiane Business and Social newspaper recently that he had spent 500 million kip to assemble three more boats, aiming to cater to the growth in tourist arrivals.
Many tourists from the Republic of Korea and China are making bookings through the restaurant's website. About 500-600 people are taking boat trips each week to visit some of the islands, with numbers having steadily risen compared to the previous year.
The new boats are expected to be offering services on International Women's Day in March and taking tour groups from Europe and Korea, along with backpackers. But at present local people are visiting the reservoir in the greatest numbers.
Mr Amphone said his three existing boats with 45 seats each weren't enough to accommodate visitors in the high season and he hoped the three additional boats would ensure no one was left high and dry.
Meanwhile, the manager of the Longngum View Resort Hotel, Mr Saksavang Saona, reported that his year-on-year bookings had risen by about 60 percent in 2015, on top of a 40 percent increase in 2014.
He expected the resort would continue to see strong growth in bookings over the next two years.
He believes the growing number of visitors will encourage more investors to build hotels and resorts in the area.
Tourists know the reservoir well and have been good word-of-mouth promoters of the popular spot, talking about its beauty, tranquility and its many islands over social networks, Mr Saksavang said.
The area is popular partly due to its proximity to Vientiane and makes for an attractive weekend getaway.
