Visitors clamber across a ropewalk over a waterfall at the Nampein Yorla Pa resort in Vientiane. --Photo Nampein Yorla Pa

Vientiane tourist numbers up 26 percent on last year

More than 674,000 foreign tourists visited Vientiane in the first five months of this year, an increase of 26.31 percent compared to the same period last year.
The capital now has 58 Lao- and foreign-owned tourism businesses, comprising 16 places of accommodation, 20 restaurants and entertainment venues, 22 travel agents, and spa and massage services.
Addressing a meeting of the Vientiane People’s Council on Tuesday, the Head of the Vientiane Information, Culture and Tourism Department, Ms Viengphone Keokhounsi, said 674,196 foreign visitors were recorded from January to May, with tourist spending up by 44 percent compared to the same period last year and amounting to 67.42 percent more than the target figure.
Tourism involves many sectors of government and numerous businesses, she noted.
The Vientiane Information, Culture and Tourism Department has worked with other authorities to enhance the tourism landscape in Vientiane by improving infrastructure and services, while authorities have closely monitored the process to raise standards of tourism across the capital, Ms Viengphone said.
During Visit Laos Year 2024, Vientiane authorities have overseen the construction of new tourist attractions and improved standards at hotels and guesthouses and other visitor facilities.
In the first three months of this year, more than 1.1 million foreign tourists visited Laos, an increase of 36 percent compared to the figure for the same period in 2023, according to the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism.
Statistics compiled by the ministry’s Tourism Marketing Department reveal that 347,595 visitors came from Thailand, 264,710 from Vietnam, 242,404 from China, 105,642 from the Republic of Korea, 25,455 from the USA, 20,339 from France, 14,276 from the UK, 11,805 from Russia, and 9,523 from Germany.
The increasing number of tourists is attributed to this being Visit Laos Year and the fact that more travellers are using the Laos-China Railway.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update July 11, 2024)