Luang Prabang tourism rebounds
(KPL) The first Heritage Town of Laos, Luang Prabang would exert more efforts to attract 500,000 foreign and local tourists this year after having been voted as the top list of 2010 best tourist destination of the world polled by the Wanderlust Travel Magazine.
Deputy Head of Tourism Service in Luang Prabang province, Mr Khamtanh Somphanvilay said last week that tourism begins to recover after facing financial crisis last year.
Mr Khamtanh said that over 500,000 tourists are expected to visit Luang Prabang province this year.
The status of the top of a list of best tourist destinations would help increasing the number of tourists this year in Luang Prabang province.
The Provincial Tourism Service started carrying out the construction of a new Sisavangvong road as the vehicle free road with hope to attract more international and local tourists.
“The atmosphere of tourism in the province, in the first two months this year tended to be better than the last year’s same period,” he said.
“We hoped that the atmosphere would keep on round the year.
Last year, Luang Prabang welcomed over 240,000 tourists, down by 0.88 percent compared to the 2008 figure, Mr Khamtanh said.
“Firstly, the number of tourist arrivals in Luang Prabang last year was expected to fall sharply due to the global financial crisis. But it turned out to be a slight fall,” he stated.
Despite the fall in tourist arrivals, the income increased by 25 percent, he said.
The province earned income of US$120 million from tourism in 2008 but in 2009 it went up to more than US$140 million.
Last year’s income moved upward thanks to a longer stay of tourists and the increase in their payment, he said.
According to the Wanderlust Travel Magazine, this year Luang Prabang was voted the first place on the list of 2010 best tourist destination of the world with a score of 94.74 percent, followed by Siena, Italy, with 94.67 percent, and Berlin, Germany, with 94.15 percent.
Luang Prabang has won this title from 2006 to 2008 before falling to the seventh in 2009 because the city failed in maintaining its beauty, attractiveness and cleanliness.
Mr Khamtanh said that Luang Prabang has been voted back to top ten again this year because the relevant sectors actively worked together to address the issues, raised by the UNESCO relating to the town of heritage areas and conservation.
