ASEANEWS TOURISM | VIENTIANE, Laos: Luang Prabang calls for free tourist visas to boost visitor numbers

Phasomnang mountain in Ngoy district, Luang Prabang province.

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Luang Prabang, Laos – The Essential – Tours, Markets, Elephants, Food

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Luang Prabang tourism authorities have asked the government to consider extending the free visitor visa policy for Chinese tour groups after learning that the visa fee waiver encouraged more Chinese to visit the world heritage town during Visit Laos Year 2024.

Addressing the annual meeting of the information, culture and tourism sector in Vientiane last week, the Director of the Luang Prabang provincial Information, Culture and Tourism Department, Dr Soudaphone Khomthavong, also asked for the visa fee to be waived for nationals of other countries that do not yet benefit from the scheme.

Speaking on the last day of a three-day meeting, Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone told participants to review the visa waiver policy that had been implemented during Visit Laos Year 2024 and to contribute opinions on its advantages and disadvantages, so that further policy in this regard could be appropriately introduced.

In addition to the visa waiver policy, Dr Soudaphone said the ministry should consider re-issuing licences to local businesses according to the size of the business, which would determine whether the licence is issued by a central or local government agency.

At present, some businesses are issued licences by the central government without going through the local government department, which can cause difficulties with management, she said.

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She also asked the ministry to consider allocating funds at the local level to finance activities such as the Visit Laos Year programme in the future, so that efforts to promote tourism could be carried out more effectively.

Dr Soudaphone suggested that authorities regulate the management of companies that provide services for Chinese tourists, to ensure regulations around tourism are standardised and enforced.

Meanwhile, Luang Prabang authorities will improve infrastructure and visitor facilities at tourist sites to improve the visitor experience. This will include improvements to access roads, equipment and facilities at tourist attractions, as well as the upgrade of tourism service personnel and vehicles used to transport visitors, she added.

Despite a massive surge in tourism in recent years, the province continues to face difficulties, including during last year when insufficient funds were available to finance the Visit Laos Year 2024 programme.

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Other notable problems were delays in advertising special events and limited preparation times, while the roads leading from Luang Prabang city to the Laos-China railway station and the popular Tad Kuangxi waterfall are in need of repair, Dr Soudaphone said.

Although thousands of tourists will come to Luang Prabang this year, it is questionable to what extent local people will benefit. This is an issue that provincial authorities will investigate, she added.

During Visit Laos Year 2024, more than 2.3 million tourists visited Luang Prabang province, an increase of 1.2 million compared to 2023. Tourist spending in the province last year generated US$1.2 billion in revenue.

By Siladda Suliyong
 (Latest Update February 11, 2025)

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