Tourists are slowly coming back to Luang Prabang

With the Covid pandemic on the wane around the world, domestic and foreign tourists are slowly coming back to visit and witness the Lao traditions and culture in Luang Prabang province.
In July this year and during the Buddhist Lent week, over 11,000 foreign tourists visited Luang Prabang. Most took the Laos-China train to get to Luang Prabang.

Vice President of the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mrs Chanthachone Vongsay, also gave a speech at the grand opening of the Sabaidee Luang Pravang Festival.

Sabaidee Luang Prabang Festival is taking place in Luang Prabang province between October 6 and October 12 and is the first festival in the week-long celebrations of the end of Buddhist Lent. Provincial tour operators are expecting more than 10,000 visitors during the festival season.
The Vice President of the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mrs Chanthachone Vongsay, said at the grand opening of the event at Heuan Chan Heritage House that Sabaidee Luang Prabang Festival was the first festival to mark the end of Buddhist Lent.
She encouraged entrepreneurs to make their businesses sustainable, especially keeping in mind domestic and international tourists.
The key is to encourage sustainable tourism-related business units such as hotels and guest houses, travel companies, food and beverage enterprises, handicrafts, and agricultural products.
“At the same time, it helps to boost tourism within our domestic sector. The locals should travel more within the country and use more local products to support the economy after the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak,” she said with a smile.
At the festival, many activities will be held to highlight significant sights - traditional music and handicrafts, traditional Lao costume competitions, lantern competitions, local cuisine, a candle parade, trekking, cycling, and a mini-run for children.
Moreover, the festival will provide a meaningful space for local entrepreneurs and businesses to showcase their products and promote sustainability during the exhibition at Heuan Chan Heritage House. More than 45 booths have been set up in this regard.
The festival is one of the significant activities aligned under the LaoThiao Lao Campaign and has been implemented by the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Plan International Laos, which is also funded by the European Union.
The First Counsellor (Political), Delegation of the EU to Lao PDR, Mr Niall Leonard, said at the grand opening that the European Union has agreed to support this Festival through our partnership with Plan International and LNCCI under the SUSTOUR project: first, of course, to contribute to the Lao Thiao Lao campaign to revive tourism; second, to promote and preserve the culture and heritage of the Lao PDR; and third, to foster sustainable consumption and production practices in the tourism sector.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, tourism contributed a great deal to growth and jobs in the Lao PDR. Even though many tourism businesses were hit hard by the closure of borders for about two years and could not stay afloat, the Lao Thiao Lao campaign did help the sector to survive. And it is now playing a crucial role to help it recover.
Now that the borders have re-opened, the tourism sector is “back in business”. We are all very happy to see that many visitors from the region are flocking Luang Prabang, enabling hotels, restaurants, and markets to come back to life again. These visitors are making a very important contribution to the economy, by bringing foreign currency and helping create jobs.
“We noticed that a few Europeans are also coming back, but not yet in big numbers. The EU is committed to supporting the government’s efforts to bring back tourism,” he said.
Laos possesses remarkable, natural resources and wildlife and many tourists are becoming more and more aware of their footprints and are respectful of the environment.

By Khonesavanh Latsaphao
(Latest Update October 14, 2022)