Luang Prabang's tourism earnings pursue upward trend
Luang Prabang's tourism earnings pursue upward trend
The World Heritage town of Luang Prabang expects its income from tourism in 2016 to grow by US$192,455 compared to last year, an official said.
According to officials at the Luang Prabang Tourism Department, the growth in earnings is continuing as tourist arrivals increased by 16 percent in the first nine months of this year.
This has caused tourism revenue to rise by about US$137,305 so far this year compared to an increase of US$92,628 last year.
The figures were determined by the department after it conducted a survey of tourist spending in the town.
Luang Prabang expects to see a gain in earnings of more than 1.41 trillion kip in the next five years, thanks to steady growth in the tourism sector.
The sector has recorded growth of 85-90 percent in tax and duty collection from trades and services, according to the provincial Finance Department.
The number of tourist arrivals has risen to 600,000 visitors and is still increasing, making Luang Prabang officials confident they can reach their target of around 616,000 visitors annually.
Tourists from China, Thailand, and Korea have all increased in number this year, thanks to the opening of direct flights between Laos and China and Korea which has seen tour groups from the two countries grow in number.
The data shows that the number of European, Asian and Pacific visitors in the first nine months of this year reached 156,223 visitors, an increase of 21 percent compared to the same period in 2015.
According to the Tourism Marketing Department, tourists from China and Korea are lured by the country's rich blend of nature, culture, traditions and lifestyle along with drawcard destinations such as Vientiane, Vangvieng, Luang Prabang and Pakxe.
Tourist numbers are continuing their year-on-year growth and it is expected that Laos will achieve its goal of 5 million tourists this year.
These encouraging figures will help to further drive investment in tourism in Luang Prabang, officials say.
