Tourists take a kayak trip on a river in Khammuan province.

Khammuan taps potential of tourism resources

This has been a bumper year for tourism in Khammuan, with more than 615,200 tourists sampling the province’s scenic delights and spending more than 650 billion kip in total.
Laos is enjoying a tourism boom with the industry experiencing a welcome resurgence after the barren years of the Covid pandemic.

Tourism plays an important role in the country’s socio-economic development and creates jobs and income for local people, the Deputy Director of Khammuan province’s Information, Culture and Tourism Department, Mr Somsackda Keomany, told the Vientiane Times this week.
“Our tourism development plan hinges on resources that have outstanding potential. We will publicise activities that have the potential to attract tourists and are operated under concessions to individuals and legal entities,” he added.
Khammuan province spends large sums of money on infrastructure and tourist attractions every year, while encouraging ministries and related sectors including Lao and foreign businesses to participate in the development of tourist attractions. 
The province’s main focus is on developing and promoting nature-based, cultural and historical attractions that have been surveyed and officially listed and publicised, aiming to generate more income for the province’s development, Mr Somsackda said.
Khammuan has great tourism potential in terms of its scenic beauty, history, and culture. Tourism officials are gathering information and listing more new tourism resources, working with individual districts to identify, demarcate and issue land titles to priority sites.
Officials are evaluating standards at hotels and guesthouses and giving them appropriate star ratings, while also monitoring the services on offer at restaurants and tourist sites.
A visitor from France named the Thakhaek Loop as one of Laos’ most popular trips for independent travellers, especially motorbike riders, saying it offers plenty of options for side trips and adventures. Roads are in great condition, locations are well signposted, and the route is easy to navigate, she said.
The scenery is breathtakingly beautiful and offers a fantastic showcase of what so many people find special about Laos, she added.
Provincial officials are working with the government and businesses to source funds for the production of tourism publications, so that these are more widely distributed.
A tourist guidebook is now in the making and brochures are being produced for distribution to both Lao and foreign tourists, as well as a 15-episode tourism documentary.
Khammuan has 22 hotels, 96 guesthouses, 102 restaurants, 10 resorts, 77 entertainment venues, and 5 travel companies.
Tourism authorities have improved visitor facilities and standards in conservation areas are being monitored with local residents being encouraged to ensure standards are upheld.
Khammuan province is a convenient jumping off point for travel by bus or plane to nearby Savannakhet and Champassak provinces, and by the Laos-China railway to the northern provinces of Luang Prabang, Luang Namtha and Oudomxay.
More than 5 million Lao and foreign tourists have vacationed in Laos so far this year, with the number of Lao tourists surpassing the target figure by 27 percent, while revenue exceeded US$1 billion, the Prime Minister informed the National Assembly on Monday.

By Phetphoxay Sengpaseuth
 (Latest Update November 20, 2024)