Ministry: Laos eyes 4.89 million tourist arrivals this year
Ministry: Laos eyes 4.89 million tourist arrivals this year
Tourist arrivals in Laos this year are projected to hit 4.89 million people, rising from 4.23 million tourists last year, according to the Tourism Development Department of the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism.
The ministry has not made a prediction on the amount of revenue that might be generated, but last year the tourism sector generated more than US$724 million, down slightly from the year before.
Foreign tourists are divided into two categories: regional and international. Regional tourists mostly come from Thailand, Vietnam, China, and Cambodia, with these countries recorded as having 3.55 million nationals visit Laos in 2016.
Meanwhile international travellers from further afield visiting Laos in 2016 numbered over 680,000 people.
In terms of tourism promotion and statistical records, the Tourism Development Department is now collecting data on tourist arrivals for the first three months of 2017, but the summary figures will be released later.
It is also forecast that 4.89 million people will visit Laos this year as the country is now working hard to improve infrastructure at tourist sites as well as collaborate with its neighbours, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar, and Cambodia.
Last year, the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism and Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports reached a cooperation agreement on tourism with the aim of jointly promoting the tourism potential of the two countries and implementing Asean’s connectivity plans.
Under the cooperation plan, the two sides will advertise tourist destinations, tourism products and the services of the two countries internationally, which they will do together through regional and international tourism fairs, aiming to ensure the growth and sustainability of the tourism industry in their respective countries.
According to the strategic plan, the ministry plans to draw 7.51 million tourists by 2025 through collaboration with Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam.
Under the Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand (CLMVT) grouping, they intend to strengthen their cooperation in promoting tourism within the framework of Asean integration.
At the Asean Ecotourism Forum 2016, Asean ministers pledged to identify a plan and sustainably develop an inter-connected network of ecotourism destinations and sites across Asean member states, which are linked to major overland roads, waterways, sea or air routes (tourism corridors).
They aim to promote the region as a single tourist destination under the slogan “One Asean, One Tourist Destination”.
Meanwhile Laos’ Tourism Development Department is implementing its plan on the development of tourist sites across Laos from 2013 to 2020 to ensure it is able to achieve the goal of attracting 5.88 million visitors by that year.
Laos currently has more than 1,900 tourist sites including developed and undeveloped sites, which display the country’s natural, historical and cultural attractions.
The slight drop in revenue from tourism, which fell from US$725 million in 2015 to US$724 million last year, posed a challenge for the ministry, which has now doubled its efforts in promoting Laos’ tourism potential.
Laos received just over 4.23 million foreign visitors in 2016, down from 4.68 in 2015, and below the targeted 4.7 million people for 2016.
