Laos Tourism Awards: 4 Reasons Why They Don’t Work & What You Can Do About It

Construction should begin in 2025 and be completed before 2030. A new international airport must be built on the outskirts of Vientiane.

It has identified four airports; Wattay, Luang Prabang, Savannakhet and Pakse airports. The ministry talks about the country being named to the World's Best Tourist Destination list in 2013 in its latest review and says ecotourism has improved constantly over recent years, without backing up its claims with data. Lao News Agency quoted the most recent official results saying international visits increased from 2.7 million in 2011 to 4.1 million in 2014 with revenue from the tourism sector jumped from USD400 million in 2011 to USD560 million in 2014.

If you are already in the country, territory or region, you should consider leaving if it is safe to do so. You should not travel to this country, territory or region. There is an extreme risk to your personal safety and security.

Pack a travel health kit , especially if you will be travelling away from major city centres. Do not expect medical services to be the same as in Canada. High-risk travellers include those visiting or working in prisons, refugee camps, homeless shelters, or hospitals, or travellers visiting friends and relatives.

Travellers who may be at high risk while travelling in regions with risk of tuberculosis should discuss pre- and post-travel options with a health care provider. Remember to wash your hands often and practice proper cough and sneeze etiquette to avoid colds, the flu and other illnesses. Crowded conditions can increase your risk of certain illnesses.

There is a risk of malaria in certain areas and/or during a certain time of year in this country. The risk of dengue is higher during the daytime, particularly at sunrise and sunset. All those travelling to regions with a risk of hepatitis A infection should get vaccinated.

Hepatitis A is a disease of the liver spread through contaminated food and water or contact with an infected person. Talk to your travel health provider about which ones are right for you. You may be at risk for these vaccine-preventable diseases while travelling in this country.

Some of these vaccines include: measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, varicella (chickenpox), influenza and others. You may be refused entry to some areas of the province, particularly around Long Tieng. Travellers are required to obtain permission from local authorities prior to travel to certain parts of the province of Xaisomboun.

Prior to travelling, ask your transportation company about its requirements related to passport validity, which may be more stringent than the country's entry rules. Canadians must present a passport to visit Laos, which must be valid for at least six months beyond the date of expected departure from that country. Thong is one of more than 780 families in Luang Prabang province who have taken to growing Arabica beans for the locally-based company Saffron Coffee.

Coffee grower Boua Thong, 47, has been growing Arabica beans for almost a decade in the mountains of Laos Tourism Information' Luang Prabang province.