Luang Prabang eyes expansion

LUANG PRABANG  Luang Prabang’s tourism officials believe the World Heritage town will host to 700,000 international visitors by 2018.

Lao News Agency reported relevant sectors are focusing on human resource development and improving infrastructure and other facilities to make Luang Prabang more attractive for tourists and to ensure that the number of visitors to the UNESCO World Heritage town continues to increase.

The top objective is to facilitate the flow of tourism to other provinces by making Luang Prabang the starting point for tourists in Laos, the report said.  But there are also moves to increase length of stay.

According to the Office of Provincial Tourism, international visitors to Luang Prabang increased from 370,000 in 2014 to approximately 500,000 this year. Thailand supplies around 40% of all arrivals and is the top source, but China now in second place will out perform Thailand soon.

Local hotels complain that the Thai market is limited due to the short length of stay; around two nights and a lower spend.

The district of Luang Prabang has 228 registered tourist sites, but only 111 are open to the public.  They are divided into three categories: cultural, natural and historical.

The town has 76 hotels and resorts, 327 guest houses, 286 traditional and international restaurants and 75 tourism companies.

Luang Prabang was recognised as a World Heritage site in 1995.It has captured the imagination of travellers because of the fusion of traditional and French colonial architecture during the 19th and 20th centuries and its chill-out ambience that still survives despite a tourism boom. It is one of just a few towns in Asia that still reflect a blend of colonial and local cultural influences.

sourced:ttrweekly.com