Xieng Khouang's Phoukeng Mountain Opens for Tourists:
Xieng Khouang Province's historic Phoukeng Mountain area opened for tourists on 23 January 2012, according to KPL (Lao News Agency).
Located in Lat-Ngon Village in Paek District and easily accessible from the provincial capital Phonsavan, the Phoukeng area is known for its many caves, forest setting, and key role during the war for independence.
Xieng Khouang Tourism Division Director Khamphet Phommadouangkaison said plans are afoot for a cable car on Phoukeng Mointain, a path leading up the mountain's eastern side, parking, toilets, and other public amenities.
"This is a solely government invested project amounting to USD2.13 million. So far, the construction, which began in 2010, has been completed nearly 70 per cent," Mr Khamphet said.
For tourist information on Xieng Khouang, visit: www.xieng-khouang.com or click here.
To post your comments or start a discussion, visit the:
Ecotourism Laos Google Group.
Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad has urged the Then-Hinboun Power Company (THPC) to open up the recently built Nam Khouang hydropower dam in Bholikhamxay Province to tourism, according to the Vientiane Times.
"I am so happy to see such a beautiful reservoir," Mr Somsavat said at a ceremony to mark the first release of water from the dam, which is situated in Bholikhamxay's Khamkeuth District.
While power generation may be the main purpose of the reservoir, the natural beauty of the newly formed lake means it also offers plenty of potential in terms of tourism, the Vientiane Times reported.
Situated in the rugged and mountainous Khamkeuth District, the dam offers spectacular views of the Annamite Mountains and provides numerous bays and inlets to explore.
Mr Somsavat said the dam site is magnificent, and it would be good if holidaymakers could come and visit the newly created freshwater lake, and have somewhere to stay for a couple of nights.
"It is good to visit this beautiful reservoir. There should be some boats trips along the river upstream so people can stay and rest on the boats," he said.
Mr Somsavat advised THPC to liaise with tourism authorities in Bholikhamxay and Khammouane Provinces, and to develop some tourist facilities and organize activities. There is potential to run tours to forested areas, as well as to nearby villages where people could experience the local lifestyle, and see how traditional handicrafts are made.
Establishing cooperative tourism and fishing ventures will generate income for villagers if the area is opened up to tourism.
"The main issue is to help the people who were relocated, who lost their homes when the dam was built. We want them to have sustainable livelihoods through production, employment and a steady income," Mr Somsavat said.
Sixty per cent of the power company is owned by government shareholders through Electricite du Laos (EDL), while Nordic Hydro (Statkraft) and GMS Lao each hold a 20 per cent stake.
EDL Managing Director Sisavath Thiravong said "I think it is possible to manage tour activities on the reservoir, but we will have to conduct a further study on the issue."
Mr Sisavath said the THPC could either operate such a tour business on its own or cooperate with other tour companies and allow them to establish business operations there. "However, we have to ensure that tourist ventures do not impact on the dam. We must have a reservation area."
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Pre-teens like to adventure off the beaten path too, and in "Innocent Adventures in Sayabouly", published in the February-March issue of Champa Holidays magazine, Bernie Rosenbloom and his two daughters scour "The Land of Elephants".
Follow this rambling family as they boat up the Mekong from Luang Prabang to Ngeun District's Ban Bi Mi to learn how women transform local raw organic cotton into fabric. The girls even got a lesson on the loom.
Readers will ride with them on elephants in Hongsa District, visit temples in Sayabouly District, and check out French colonial buildings in Paklai. In between, they visited a hermit cave, watched miners panning for gold in the Mekong, inspected the new Houay Namsai Medicinal Plants Preserve and Herbal Spa, and peaked at the under-construction Elephant Conservation Center.
To read the article and the latest issue of Champa Holidays, visit: www.champaholiday.com.
For more information on Sayabouly, visit:
www.sayaboulytourism.com, or click here.
To post your comments or start a discussion, visit the:
Ecotourism Laos Google Group.
The annual Lao Elephant Festival in Sayabouly Province, held this year from 17 to 19 February in Sayabouly Town, is being managed by a private company for the first time in the event's six-year history, as the Lao government no longer wants to financially underwrite the increasingly popular fete.
RiverOrchid Communications Agency won the contract to manage and improve the event's quality and raise its regional profile, though the non-profit ElefantAsia and Sayabouly's Elephant Conservation Center (ECC) will continue to supervise the elephant's welfare within the festival framework, according to a TTR Weekly report.
The festival is expected to attract around 100,000 elephant lovers, a sizeable jump from the 82,000 visitors registered in 2009 when the event last took place in Sayabouly District.
The event has rotated among Sayabouly, Hongsa and Paklai Districts, but some have suggested that the festival find a permanent home to ease logistics, and Sayabouly District seems to be the most likely choice, as it is the home of the ECC.
One major issue facing the annual elephant festival is a lack of accommodation. Sayabouly District has fewer than 500 hotel and guesthouse rooms, and the entire province has just over 1,000 rooms. Homestay options are available, which can boost the bed-count by up to 1,000, and the ECC offers five twin rooms and a dormitory in traditional style houses, with guesthouses in the pipeline.
Apart from the festival, there are several tour options available that can be booked at Sayabouly Visitor Information Center: Lao Traditions Journey (1 day), Houay Namsai Spa Center (2 days, 1 night), Ethnic Village Visits (2 days, 1 night), Cave Visiting (1 day), Nam Houng-Mekong-Nampouy Rivers Cruise (2 days, 1 night), and Caves Visiting and Cruising (3 days, 2 nights).
Many of these tours revolve around a visit to the Houay Namsai Medicinal Plant Preserve and Herbal Spa. Located in Ban Houay Kaeng, the Preserve has nearly 100 traditional medicinal plants in its garden, and visitors can experience their healing powers in herbal steam rooms.
The LNTA-ADB Sustainable Tourism Development Project has announced the pre-opening of two tour programs in Sayabouly's Nam Thang 1,000 Caves Area based at the Ban Keo Homestay Village located some 43 km south of Sayabouly Town.
ECC features an elephant hospital, mahout school, breeding centre and elephant museum. Activities available for visitors include a tour around the village, learning how to ride an elephant, hygiene, exercise or a visitor can sign up for six-day working holiday led by mahouts.
For more information on the Elephant Festival, visit:
www.laoelephantfestival.com.
Champa Holidays Features Five Khammouane Highlights:
Champa Holidays magazine takes readers six hours south of Vientiane to Khammouane Province and five of its top attractions.
"Five Highlights in Khammouane Province" presents "Beauty in the Dark" (Konglor Cave with an overnight village stay), "Buddha Cave" (recently discovered Nong Pa Fa Cave and its 600-year-old Buddha images), "Historic Guest Landing" (1,500-year-old Sikhottabong Stupa and the ancient "Great Wall"), "Spot the Bald Bulbul" (just declared a species in 2009), and "Pristine Phou Hin Poun" (trekking and overnight stay in a village lodge).
To read the column and the latest issue of Champa Holidays, visit: www.champaholiday.com.
For more information on Khammouane, click here.
To post your comments or start a discussion, visit the:
Ecotourism Laos Google Group.
Wanderlust Again Names Luang Prabang Best Destination:
Readers of Britain's Wanderlust travel magazine has named Laos' UNESCO World Heritage site "The Best Tourist Destination" for the third straight year in 2012.
"Wanderlust is in the process of sending us the award for 2012," Luang Prabang senior tourism expert Khamtan Somphanvilay told the Vientiane Times.
Wanderlust readers also ranked Luang Prabang the best tourist destination in 2010 and 2011.
"We love the fact that your top city isn't about bright lights and fast living. No, laid-back Lao city Luang Prabang likes to take things slow. Really slow," the magazine said about the ancient capital on Laos...
For more information, visit: www.wanderlust.co.uk.
For tourist information on Luang Prabang, click here.
To post your comments or start a discussion, visit the:
Ecotourism Laos Google Group.
Overland travelers heading to Luang Prabang from Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai can now hop on a daily bus that crosses the Mekong at Chiang Khong and continues on a two-day jaunt to the UNESCO World Heritage site with stops at less-visited tourist hubs on the way.
The new service brings the number of Thai-Lao bus links to eight, and though the route, operated on the Lao side by Na Laung Company, is being touted as the Chiang Mai-Luang Prabang run, tourists can get off and on in Houei Xai Town in Bokeo Province, Luang Namtha and Oudomxay, all of which offer accommodation, restaurants, and nature and culture-based tours.
The 44-seat, second-class bus takes 18 hours to cover the entire trip, and a one-way fare costs about USD40, according to TTR Weekly. However, once the 4th Thai-Laos Friendship bridge opens in 2013 connecting Chiang Khong with Houei Xai, the bus service will be upgraded to first-class and the fare will increase to around USD50.
Thailand's Ministry of Transport Deputy Permanent Secretary Silapachai Jarukasemrattana presided over the opening ceremony at the Chiang Mai Arcade Bus Terminal, declaring the service would "promote tourism and investment between the two countries," TTR Weekly reported.
The new route is a result of cooperation between the Department of Land Transport of Thailand and the Department Public Works and Transport of Laos. Other Thai-Lao bus routes are:
The Lao Association of Travel Agents (LATA) told KPL (Lao News Agency) it plans to increase its promotional activities to attract more tourists by advertising via websites, brochures, print media, and other avenues.
LATA President Bouakhao Phonsouvanh said the move is aimed at ensuring the strategic implementation of Visit Laos Year 2012, and added that all hotels, guesthouses, and restaurants should display the Visit Laos Year 2012 logo.
However, Mr Bouakhao commented that the infrastructure to support tourism, including hotels, guesthouses, and restaurants need to continue improving.
"The number of foreign tourists visiting Laos is gradually surging, because our country is a new destination for tourists in Southeast Asia, but the tourism service is limited."
He added, "In order to attract more tourists come to visit Laos during Visit Lao Year 2012, we need to focus on featuring culture, tradition, nature and history that are the unique characteristics of the nation."
LATA in cooperation with the Department of Advertising and Tourism Promotion and other relevant agencies have discussed and laid out a guideline for improving of hospitality service to international standards.
The Passport to Success program being offered by Lanith (Lao National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality), under the Ministry of Education, has been providing skills training for tourism and hospitality staff in Vientiane Capital and Luang Prabang, Champasak, Khammouane, and Xieng Khouang Provinces since 2011.
The number of tourists visiting Laos has been constantly grown at an annual average of 25 per cent, according to KPL. The arrival figure for 2010 reached 2.5 million visitors, and modest estimates for 2011 are some 2.6 million, though the final number is likely to be higher.
For more information on LATA, visit: www.latalaos.org.
For more information on Visit Laos Year 2012, go to: www.facebook.com/visitlaos.
For more information on Lanith's Passport to Success, visit: www.Lanith.com.
To post your comments or start a discussion, visit the:
Ecotourism Laos Google Group.
The opening date for the 4th Friendship Bridge linking Laos and Thailand across the Mekong River has been pushed back to mid-2013, a year behind schedule, according to a Vientiane Times report.
The bridge will connect Chiang Khong in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand and Houei Xai in Bokeo Province, Laos.
"The bridge should have opened in 2012, but work has been delayed slightly due to project financing that slowed down after the global financial crisis," Thavone Vorabouth, the 4th Mekong River Bridge Construction Project deputy head, told the Vientiane Times.
Mr Thavone said construction on the Lao side of the 630-meter-long bridge was ongoing.
The bridge is part of the Greater Mekong sub-region north-south economic corridor connecting Thailand to China through Laos' northwestern mountains, where the LNTA-ADB Sustainable Tourism Development Project is developing Route 3 as "The Tea Caravan Trail" with 10 easily accessible tourist sites along the way.
The USD44.8-million 4th Mekong River Bridge Construction Project is being jointly funded by Laos (25 per cent), Thailand (25 per cent), and China (50 per cent).
To post your comments or start a discussion, visit the:
Ecotourism Laos Google Group.
The deaths of two Australian tourists in Vang Vieng's Nam Xong River earlier this year have again raised concerns over a lack of appropriate medical services at the destination and the reckless operation of two of its most popular water sports: tubing and river zip lines.
It also raises the question of how local authorities can enforce regulations that are already in place governing river activities without spoiling Vang Vieng's main draw. After all, thousands of tourists safely enjoy tubing down the Nam Xong every year.
Many point the finger at alcohol, which is often the culprit in accidental deaths, and Vang Vieng has a regulation covering this. "Persons already intoxicated are prohibited from engaging in any Xong River activities including swimming, tubing, kayaking, rafting, etc…Violators will be held responsible according to the gravity of the violation."
Anyone who has visited Vang Vieng knows well the destination is like an endless "Spring Break" from university. The booze flows, but instead of an ocean beach, the young partiers congregate on the banks of the Nam Xong amid a backdrop of thundering music echoing off towering limestone cliffs.
There has been no report or evidence provided that the two men, 19-year-old Daniel Eimutis and 26-year-old Lee Hadswell, had been drinking before entering the Nam Xong.
Mr Eimutis was reported missing when he didn't show up at his guesthouse after going tubing. His body was found the next day, a victim of an apparent drowning, according to GlobalPost.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Mr Hadswell "leapt into the river from a zip line and landed badly. Attempts were made to resuscitate him, but he succumbed to his injuries."
Alcohol, water sports, and large crowds of young, fun-having adults have long been a toxic mix.
Tube traffic on the Nam Xong tends to be brisk, and though details of Mr Eimutis' drowning and disappearance are lacking, his fate appears to be an anomaly that possibly could have been avoided.
Similarly, an endless flow of zip-liners swing safely into the river everyday, which makes Mr Hadswell's death doubly unfortunate, especially considering the lack of immediate medical attention.
What's the solution for making Vang Vieng is a safer destination? Regulating tubing, zip-line, and riverside bar operators along with having emergency first aid units at popular river spots would be a good start.
However, being responsible hosts and tourists and using your head seem to be the best answer. As one tourist said, "The Nam Xong moves swiftly in spots. Like any river, it can be fun, bit it's not Disneyland. Treat it with respect."
For tourist information on Vang Vieng, click here.
To post your comments or start a discussion, visit the:
Ecotourism Laos Google Group.
Nearly 50 delegates from Laos' public and private sector participated at this year's ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF), held from 8-15 January in Manado, Indonesia, and aside from promoting the country's tourism, high on their agenda was luring buyers and exhibitors to next year's ATF being held in Laos.
A main component of ATF is TRAVEX (Travel Exchange), a travel trade show featuring exhibits from regional National Tourism Organizations and tour operators.
The Lao exhibit attracted plenty of buyers seeking the latest information on the country's tourism products, and found plenty including brochures published in seven languages by the JICA-ASEAN LPP Tourism Promotion Component, maps, and guidebooks.
For those not wanting to be burdened by too many paper publications, LPP produced a simple card with a list of internet websites under LNTA and LPP, where more information and downloads are available.
On 14 January, Laos hosted a gala dinner attended by 500 delegates to invite them to next year's ATF in the "Land of a Million Elephants". During the event, attendees were treated to traditional Lao dance, music, and an ethnic minority fashion show. Guests also viewed an LPP-produced promotional video on Laos
To download the brochures, click here.
For more information, click here.
For more information on Visit Laos Year 2012, go to: www.facebook.com/visitlaos
To post your comments or start a discussion, visit the:
Ecotourism Laos Google Group.
Sayabouly Province's annual Elephant Festival, held this year from 17 to 19 February, pulled in more than 150,000 domestic and foreign visitors, the Lao News Agency (KPL) reported.
The three-day festival aimed to promote the participation of society in elephant protection in Laos and in the world, and the engagement of elephants in tourism, said Vice Sayabouly Governor Bounyang Chandalasan.
The sixth yearly event displayed a parade of 63 elephants and colorful performances by students and local people.
The three-day festival was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad and Sayaboury Governor Lien Thikeo.
For more information on the Elephant Festival, visit: www.laoelephantfestival.com
For more information on Sayabouly, visit: www.sayaboulytourism.com or click here.
To post your comments or start a discussion, visit the:
Ecotourism Laos Google Group.
