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October 2010

Laos to Host Mekong Tourism Forum 2011:

The Lao National Tourism Administration has selected the fast-growing southern Lao destination, Pakse in Champasak Province, to host the Mekong Tourism Forum 2011. Co-organised with the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office, the 27-28 May event will take place at the Champasak Grand Hotel.

The Mekong Tourism Forum presents a platform for travel industry stakeholders to discuss regional tourism cooperation and innovation. Running concurrently is the Greater Mekong Sub-region Travel Exhibition with some 100 on-site booths, most of which offer sustainable tourism products.

To download the Mekong Tourism Forum 2011 press release, click here.

For more information, visit www.mekongtourism.org.

October’s Mekong Boat Races Ready to Row:

Laos’ biggest annual event, the Mekong River Boat Races, will take place on October 24, 2010. Held to commemorate the end of the three-month Buddhist Lent, the longboat races ply all sections of the Mekong, including Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Pakse, Savannakhet, and Sayabouly. The races, featuring crews of 30-60 men or women paddling colourful narrow longboats, also take place at destinations on major inland waterways.

For more information, visit www.tourismlaos.org.

Colorful Cookbook Covers Northern Lao FoodDate Set for 2011 Sayabouly Elephant Festival :

Sayabouly Province’s Paklai District, some 300 kilometers west of Vientiane, has been selected to host Laos’ annual Elephant Festival on February 18-20, 2011. The event features about 60 brightly adorned pachyderms competing for “Elephant of the Year”, along with elephant processions and bathing, mahout demonstrations, traditional Buddhist blessings, fun fairs, night markets, and live performances.

For more information, visit festival.elefantasia.org