Luang Prabang hotel bookings remain steady
Luang Prabang hotel bookings remain steady
The booking of hotel rooms in the World Heritage town of Luang Prabang over the Lao New Year holiday has not seen any increase from last year.
Vice President of the Luang Prabang Hotel, Guesthouse and Restaurant Association, Mr Daophet Boudphaphan, said on Thursday that bookings have not climbed even though hotel construction in Luang Prabang has increased.
Last year alone the town had 15 new hotels under construction.
Mr Daophet suggested that the main reason there had not been an increase in room reservations was because the Lao New Year celebrations had not been widely advertised.
Luang Prabang had been expecting to see an increase in tourists throughout the year as AirAsia now offers a direct flight from Bangkok to the northern town, while Silk Air flies directly from Singapore to Vientiane before continuing on to Luang Prabang and returning to Singapore.
These flights should also be driving an increase in tourists as they can save time, especially for Japanese tourists who use Singapore as a transit point.
But the authorities have not made more funding available for tourism promotion or sold Luang Prabang as a fun destination for Pi Mai Lao, officials said.
Mr Daophet said Luang Prabang has 78 hotels that still have rooms available but he also expects that there will be a last minute surge next week.
According to the Tourism Management Department, the number of European, Asian and Pacific visitors reached 156,223 last year, which was an increase of 21 percent compared to the same period in 2015.
Luang Prabang is considered the top tourist destination in Laos, with 83 percent of visitors citing it as their first choice, followed by Vientiane.
The town was recently awarded a special prize by the Asean-Japan Centre at a ceremony held in Japan for its �Unique Tour�, which features a seven-day tour of traditional Lao textile centres and other attractions.
Chinese business operators have made frequent visits to Laos in hopes of entering the hospitality market in areas related to hotels and restaurants, looking to accommodate the influx of tourists from China.
These factors should aid in driving investment in hotel construction which could also result in increased bookings for Luang Prabang.
