THAILAND FLOODS DAMPEN CHAMPASSAK TOURISM

The floods in Thailand have led to a fall in tour groups from the country visiting Champassak province in Laos, according to the provincial Information, Culture and Tourism Department.

An official from the department who works at the Vangtao-Chongmek border crossing, Mr Na Khanthavong, said on Monday that fewer Thai tourists are visiting the province since Thailand was hit by floods two months ago.

“There are currently very few Thai tour groups coming here. Some days of the week there are no group tours passing through this checkpoint.”

Before the floods about 200 to 300 people in group tours entered the province through the checkpoint each week, he said.

The department believes the number of Thai tourists visiting Champassak province will remain low for the remainder of the year but expects visitor numbers to pick up again in January.

Champassak province is in the southern extremity of Laos and is a centre of tourism and trade in the area where Laos, Thailand and Cambodia share borders.

Over the past five years more than one million tourists have visited Champassak province, reaching over 301,600 people in 2010, Mr Na said.

The province has an abundance of natural, cultural and historical tourism sites, including the Vat Phou temple complex and Khonphapheng waterfall.

Khonphapheng waterfall is located in Khong district, which is home to at least 25 popular tourist sites, including eight places of natural beauty, 11 cultural attractions and six places of historical interest.

Khonphapheng waterfall is the biggest waterfall by volume in South East Asia and is about 148 km from the provincial capital. It attracts many people from around the region and the world interested in experiencing its raw power for themselves.

A three-branched tree called manykhod grows on a sm all island in the centre of the waterfall and local people believe that whoever eats fruit from the tree will immediately gain magical powers, but the story is yet to be proven true.

The Vat Phou temple complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and offers panoramic views of the mighty Mekong, nearby villages, jungle and rice fields.

To accommodate the growing number of visitors to the province, infrastructure has been improved, the provincial airport upgraded to an international facility, and more than 20 international immigration points between the province and neighbouring nations are now open.

According to the Ministry of I nformation, Culture and Tourism, the average annual growth in tourists to Laos has exceeded 20.7 percent over the past decade, with the number of tourists increasing from about 700,000 in 2000 to 2.5 million in 2010, generating US$381 million in revenues.

In the first three months of 2011 visitor arrivals were up 20 percent compared to the same period last year.

Source - laovoices