Closer links urged to foster tourism


Photo: Temple in Savannakhet province, Laos

The Lao National Tourism Administration (LNTA) has urged tourist offices around the country to work together to promote popular tourist attractions.

“If all offices cooperate we hope to persuade tourists to stay longer in Laos ,” LNTA President Somphong Mongkhonvilay said on Tuesday in Vientiane province.

He said the administration planned to set up regions, each consisting of four or five provinces, and tourist operators in those regions would be asked to cooperate in promoting the various attractions in the area.



Recently, tourism offices from the five central provinces held a festival in Savannakhet province to promote tourist sites, local culture and handmade products, attracting thousands of visitors.

“This was a great event and served to showcase tourist attractions in the area. Another successful event was the Elephant Festival held in Xayaboury province earlier this month, which drew interest from the local and foreign media and advertised our tourism potential to the world,” said Mr Somphong.

He added that tourism in Laos has been developing in the last few years because the government has made it easier for visitors to get visas, as well as increasing access to neighbouring countries.



The LNTA will organis e a festival in Vangvieng district, Vientiane province, at the end of this year to promote tourism links between five southern and four northern provinces , as well as parts of Vietnam and Thailand .

“The festival will be held in Vangvieng district because it is well known among tourists worldwide,” Mr Somphong said.

He advised that provincial tourism offices should select their best tourist attractions to promote at the festival.


By Souknilundon Southivongnorath

Photo: VIP bus from Vientiane to Pakse

A bus company operating a service exclusively for tourists opened on Tuesday, aiming to guarantee standards of security and services.

The Phanthavong Tourist Transport Cooperation Company was officially opened by Lao National Tourism Administration (LNTA) President Mr Somphong Mongkhonvilay on February 26 in Phonhong district, Vientiane province.

“The company hopes to ensure tourists can be confident about the standard of Lao transportation services,” Mr Somphong said at the opening ceremony.

He believes that the company will actively promote tourism in Laos , and will bring income into the country. “ Vientiane province has various natural, historical and cultural tourist sites, which attracted 340,000 tourists from around the world last year,” Vientiane National Tourism Authority Office Director Outhong Phanthavong said.

He said these figures would increase in the coming years, and the Phanthavong Company would play an important role in tourist transport services in the future.

“We have invested more than 2.6 billion kip in the venture. Initially we will provide transport from the capital to various parts of Vientiane province, with the aim of expanding to Luang Prabang province, the southern provinces and border crossings with Vietnam and Thailand in the future,” company President Mrs Chanthachone Phanthavong said.

The company will sell tickets through hotels and guesthouses in Vientiane . Passengers will also be able to purchase tickets at the bus stop, located on the Mekong riverside next to the Horkang on Fa Ngum Street .

The company reported that all of their buses will carry an official LNTA sticker to assure passengers that the company is following the laws and regulations regarding tourism promotion. The company will initially provide seven buses to serve tourist needs.

“There are many buses transporting tourists to other provinces, but we hope to offer better facilities and aim to please customers with our service standards,” Mrs Chanthachone said.

By Souknilundon Southivongnorath
Vientianetimes

The construction project of Champasak Oriental Hotel in Phonthong district, Champasak province, kicked of in the end of 2006 and now 30% of the construction has been completed. According to the schedule, this hotel set to
be finished 75% by the end of 2007. However, the construction faced a lot of difficulties due to the place for the construction located on the rocky platueu, causing a lot of design to be changed, and added up more the cost of the construction to 12.500.000 $. The rainy season also delayed the construction of this hotel for many months.

Mr. Somsak Keosouriya, representative of Lao Jakao resor, hotel and tourism reported that the budject for the construction came from foreign investment (Thailand) and this hotel will be opened to the public by the middle of 2008.

This hotel comprises of 4 main buildings. Each building is a 3-stored building consists of 112 rooms. Each building has a conventional hall which can accommodate more than 2,000 people.