Three Secrets About Laos Tourism They Are Still Keeping From You

Before leaving Laos, I take one more walk through the market in Louangphabang. According to a 2008 UNESCO document large numbers of tourists arrived in Muang Ngoi before local people were prepared to deal with the social and environmental impacts that tourism can cause leading to an increasing number of conflicts between local business owners, an increase in petty theft and drug abuse among youth, too many visitors and environmental problems such as water pollution and excess trash. Unfortunately, it might be almost too late for the inhabitants of Muong Ngoi.

The tourists must be adequately educated or more mistakes will be made and it will become very difficult to realign local thinking and business practice towards genuine ecotourism principles and environmentally friendly behaviours. But, and this is a big but, if the onslaught of tourism continues and the tourists are not properly informed as to the repercussions of their selfish acts then tourism will have extremely detrimental effects. Tourists buying wildlife products and eating wild animals (endangered or not) is nowhere as bad as all the other problems Laos faces - yet.

How many are eating endangered animals? How many of these tourists are buying wildlife products? In 2007, Laos received over 1.5 million tourists and by 2015 it is estimated that there will be 2.2 million and 3 million in 2020.

The tourism sub-sector is expanding rapidly, and is seen as an important source of future growth and foreign exchange earnings. The hill landscape and sunsets are some of the most beautiful ones I've seen in SE Asia. If you wish to visit as a first-timer, I highly recommend Luang Prabang, a UNESCO world heritage site.

While elephants are said to be able to bear up to 150 kilograms on their backs, the howdah, or chair in which tourists ride the animals, can often make up two-thirds of that weight. Today, you'd be hard pressed to find a rural tourism package on Thomas Cook's website, but more foreign visitors are seeking an experiential holiday in secondary Asian destinations, and rural tourism offers them another avenue for a responsible and authentic countryside stay. The case studies demonstrate that with the right circumstances and conditions, rural tourism can create new sources of income at both the community and household levels," Mr Semone said.

Huzhou and the Anji region are known for forested hills, bamboo varieties, white tea, rivers and reservoirs, pandas, and calligraphy. During the opening ceremony, PATA Chief Operating Officer Dale Lawrence presented the International Rural Tourism Destination Base Award to Anji County Magistrate Chen Yonghua. To explore this organically rising phenomenon, Huzhou City, China, partnered with the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to host The Second International Rural Tourism Conference from 16-18 July 2017, in Anji County, Laos.

However, the Asia Pacific faces a much different situation today than Thomas Cook in the 1850s. The growing urban Asian population is seeking to escape their pressure-filled, yet often mundane city life, and are increasingly turning Top things to do in Laos leisure and relaxation holidays in the countryside.