MONEY is being poured into infrastructure, products and marketing, as Laos suits up for an action-packed year ahead, banking on three major events to raise its profile among international tourists.
Four key provinces – Luang Prabang, Vientiane, Savannakhet and Champasak – will be recipients of infrastructure investments, which include new hotels, airports, roads and bridges across the Mekong River easing travel to neighbouring Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.
A new convention centre is also under construction in Vientiane, targeted for completion before the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in November, as 3,000 delegates from 46 countries are scheduled to arrive, said Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism tourism development department director general, Sounh Manivong.
Other developments are afoot in the capital, including an expansion of the airport in order for it to handle 1,000 passengers daily. It currently serves 500 pax a day. Elsewhere in Laos, land for three new airports that will cater to medium-size aircraft has also been earmarked.
Manivong revealed that new airlines have expressed interest in launching flights to Vientiane, such as German charter carrier Condor and Jin Air, which already operates charters from South Korea but is intending to mount regular services.
National carrier Lao Airlines was also able to deploy its new Airbus A320s on its thrice-weekly Singapore-Vientiane flights launched last November. Guangzhou, Seoul and Tokyo are next destinations on the airline’s radar.
Manivong said: “We are developing new products like homestays, ecotourism, and cultural and soft adventure tours that will appeal to our primary source markets.”
Hotel supply in Vientiane is also being beefed up, with several to open this year, adding to the 14 upscale hotels, according to Lao Hotel and Restaurant Association president, Oudet Souvannavong.
Some 2.8 million visitors are expected this year, with 1.8 million likely to be from ASEAN countries.
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