Minister​ of Information, Culture​ and Tourism​ Mrs​ Suanesavanh​ Vignaket speaks at a meeting in Vientiane on Monday.      --Photo​ Pasaxon​ Daily newspaper

Govt​ eyes 6.2m tourists, spending of over US$1.3b in 2024

The Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism is hoping that more than 6.2 million Lao and foreign tourists will take trips in Laos during Visit Laos Year 2024, spending more than US$1.3 billion on tours, accommodation, food and other travel-related costs.
Of this number, it is expected that more​ than​ 2.2 million tourists will be Lao, spending about US$368 million, while almost 4 million tourists will be foreign visitors and will spend more than US$1 billion, Deputy​ Minister​ of Information, Culture​ and​ Tourism​ Mr​ Vansy​ Kuamua​ said on Monday when addressing a meeting to report the ministry’s 2023 annual work summary and the plan for 2024.
The meeting was chaired by the Minister of Information, Culture​ and Tourism​, Mrs​ Suanesavanh​ Vignaket.
Mrs Suanesavanh said the ministry had been successful in many areas of work in the past year, but some weaknesses are hindering the progress of development plans.
In a bid to reach the target number of tourists, authorities plan to advertise Visit Laos Year in Lao, English and Chinese and to produce tourism information brochures for distribution to travellers.
The authorities also plan to organise visits to some of the country’s tourist sites for social media influencers, hoping to encourage them to publicise their visits on YouTube, as well as set up meetings between businesses in the tourism sector.
Lao tourism representatives will also be stationed in countries that are Laos’ target markets, according to the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism.
Mrs​ Suanesavanh called on those present at the meeting to share their ideas on the reasons  yield more positive results of the sector in the future.
Apart from tourism, Visit Laos Year aims to showcase the country’s fine arts, culture and traditions as well as inform visitors about Laos’ long history and the sustainable use of natural resources. Another goal of Visit Laos Year is to stimulate all sectors of the economy through a vibrant tourism landscape.
Last year, more than 3.​4 million foreign tourists visited Laos, marking a 164 percent increase over 2022.

By Times​ Reporters​
 (Latest Update February 13, 2024)