The world heritage site, LuangPrabang province, still ranks top for the number of accommodations, restaurants and entertainment venues in the country, after reaching a total of 820 places in 2016.
According to a 2016 statistic report from the Tourism Development Department under the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, the number of the accommodations, restaurants and entertainment venues had increased from 591 in 2015, which may have been a result of tourism development and growth the country has seen in recent years.
Meanwhile, Vientiane, the capital city, still ranked second with of close total of 802 places in 2016, also increasing from 565 in 2015.
Vientiane province is also famous for its natural tourism sites, especially those located in Vangvieng district which was third rank with 584 places, followed by Khammuan province with 471 places, while fifth and sixth places fell to Oudomxay province with 396 and Savannakhet province with 395 places.
Moreover, Champassak province, a second world heritage site in the country, came in seventh place from the top with 338 places.
The report also showed that Xekong province, located in the southern region of the country, was bottom ranked with the total number of places at 109, just under the newly established Xaysomboun province where the number reached 122 places.
The total number of accommodations, restaurants and entertainments venues throughout the country reached a total of 6,311 places in 2016, seeing a large increase in just one year, from 4,277 places in 2015.
While the number of accommodations, restaurants and entertainments venues has increased, the report also noted that tourist arrivals fell from 4.6 million in 2015 to just 4.2 million people in 2016 with the revenue also slightly falling from just over US$725 million in 2015 to just over US$724 million in 2016.
However, the government is now trying to advertise tourist attractions around the country, hoping to attract more visitors in the lead up to ‘2018 Visit Laos Year’.
Source : Vientiane Times
