Eight Unheard Of Ways To Achieve Greater Laos Tourism

They just now need the federating element to promote itself on a global scale using all the instruments existing today such as social media, websites, mobile applications. But they are mostly the initiatives of either the private sector or NGOs. Rock climbing, cyclo-tourism, architecture and heritage trails, river tourism, the promotion of Laotian cuisine, craftmen and designers of the textile industry: all these elements already exist.

While overseas arrivals represented 8.43% of all international arrivals to Lao PDR in 2016, overseas arrivals to Luang Prabang represented 60.1% of all international arrivals to the Province. The good performance of Luang Prabang compared to other destinations in Lao PDR is due to the high share of overseas travelers to the Province. Between 2010 and 2016, international tourist arrivals increased by 205%.

The destination has experienced a steady growth in, total foreign visitors' arrivals. Luang Prabang welcomed over 469,000 foreign travelers, a growth of 5.3% compared to last year. While Laos or officially Lao PDR registered a 10% decrease in total international tourist arrivals in 2016, mostly due to a contraction in tourist arrivals from neighboring countries such as Thailand and Vietnam, Luang Prabang broke a new record in tourist arrivals last year, up by almost 6% over 2015.

The project is opening up new possibilities for employment and economic growth. With support from Swisscontact, the Southern Laos Tourism Information, charming by Nature" label has been developed and officially launched. Southern Laos, now with its own brand identity as a tourism destination, is ready for international competition.

Seek medical advice if you have a fever or are suffering from diarrhoea. Do not swim in fresh water to avoid exposure to certain water-borne diseases such as schistosomiasis. Boil all drinking water or drink bottled water, and avoid ice cubes and raw and undercooked food.

Water-borne, food-borne and other infectious diseases (including HIV/AIDS, cholera, hepatitis, rabies and tuberculosis) are prevalent with more serious outbreaks occurring from time to time. Straying from established walking paths and roads can be dangerous as affected areas are often unmarked. Unexploded ordnance remains in many parts of Laos, particularly in Xieng Khouang province (location of The Plain of Jars) and the Lao-Vietnamese border areas along the Ho Chi Minh trail.

Boats travelling on the Mekong River in the ‘golden triangle' area (between China, Laos, Burma and Thailand) have been robbed and shot at in the past. We now advise you to exercise normal safety precautions for road travel between Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang due to an improved security situation in the area. If you're planning on taking part in water activities, exercise extreme caution and ensure your travel insurance covers the activity.

A number of tourists, including Australians, have died or been injured in accidents along the river at Vang Vieng. Some NGOs have also questioned the impact of the dam on the river's ecosystem and the communities that depend on it further downstream. Early on, the measures that the company took to mitigate the dam's environmental and social impacts were applauded by the World Bank as a model to emulate, yet according to the latest report from the International Panel of Environmental and Social Experts, challenges regarding resettlement still need to be addressed.