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ដោយ: Xinhua
VIENTIANE-- Although the number of visitors to Laos has dipped slightly, the figure remains high compared to neighboring countries considering respective population size, local daily Vientiane Times on Friday quoted tourism minister as saying.
The largest number of visitors to Laos was 4.6 million in 2015, which was equal to about 60 percent of the Lao population. No other country in the region could attract tourist arrivals in numbers that exceeded 50 percent of their population, according to statistics recorded by the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism.
Laos has launched the Visit Laos Year 2018 and prepared a raft of colorful activities with active promotions in media, which have attracted a large number of domestic and foreign visitors, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Bosengkham Vongdara told the National Assembly last week.
Lao tourism authorities have attended international events in Germany and France, as well as an ASEAN tourism fair in Thailand. They also arranged a festival in Japan to promote Lao tourism and the Visit Laos Year, which sparked great interest among participants.
Laos, however, still faces challenges in attracting visitors, with some people complaining that they have been asked to pay unwarranted fees or fines at checkpoints on roads and at tourist sites, which is upsetting for both tourists and tour operators.
In addition, transport charges by various service providers vary and tend to be expensive while the entry fees at some tourist attractions are unreasonable, Bosengkham said.
In general, prices in Laos are high compared to those in neighboring countries. The minister added that many designated tourist sites do not have any facilities while some others are unsafe, having killed or injured foreign tourists.
The tourism industry also suffers from poorly trained tour guides who have an inadequate grasp of the country's history. There is also a shortage of tour guides who are fluent in foreign languages, the minister said.
In the first three months of this year, Laos attracted more than 1 million people, an increase of about 2 percent compared to the same period last year.
Last year, just over 3.8 million people visited Laos, a drop of 8.73 percent compared to 2016, according to statistics recorded by the ministry.
The largest number of visitors to Laos was 4.6 million in 2015, which was equal to about 60 percent of the Lao population. No other country in the region could attract tourist arrivals in numbers that exceeded 50 percent of their population, according to statistics recorded by the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism.
Laos has launched the Visit Laos Year 2018 and prepared a raft of colorful activities with active promotions in media, which have attracted a large number of domestic and foreign visitors, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Bosengkham Vongdara told the National Assembly last week.
Lao tourism authorities have attended international events in Germany and France, as well as an ASEAN tourism fair in Thailand. They also arranged a festival in Japan to promote Lao tourism and the Visit Laos Year, which sparked great interest among participants.
Laos, however, still faces challenges in attracting visitors, with some people complaining that they have been asked to pay unwarranted fees or fines at checkpoints on roads and at tourist sites, which is upsetting for both tourists and tour operators.
In addition, transport charges by various service providers vary and tend to be expensive while the entry fees at some tourist attractions are unreasonable, Bosengkham said.
In general, prices in Laos are high compared to those in neighboring countries. The minister added that many designated tourist sites do not have any facilities while some others are unsafe, having killed or injured foreign tourists.
The tourism industry also suffers from poorly trained tour guides who have an inadequate grasp of the country's history. There is also a shortage of tour guides who are fluent in foreign languages, the minister said.
In the first three months of this year, Laos attracted more than 1 million people, an increase of about 2 percent compared to the same period last year.
Last year, just over 3.8 million people visited Laos, a drop of 8.73 percent compared to 2016, according to statistics recorded by the ministry.
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