BOUN BANG FAI – ROCKET FESTIVAL

The Boun Bang Fai or Rocket Festival, which is celebrated throughout May, marks the sixth month of the lunar calendar. During the festival, Rockets are fired to tempt the gods to produce rain needed for rice cultivation and also to send the Naga from the banks of rivers into the rice fields to help attract rain.

Traditionally, rockets are made by stuffing gunpowder into elaborately decorated bamboo. The rockets are carried to a communal launch-pad. The rocket designed to carry prayers to the rain god during Boun Bang Fai, is known as a Hang or Meun-Saen.
On this occasion, there are special celebrations and dances all throughout Laos. To come and join this amazing celebration is truly a memorable experience for tourists during Green season.

NEW ZIP-LINE COURSE IN LUANG PRABANG

New Zip-line & Rope course has been settled at Hoi Khua Waterfall, Luang Prabang, provides multi-options for adventure activities around the World Heritage Town.

The place, located at Ban Pak Lueang Village, Chomphet District, takes 40-45 mins transfer by minivan, is considered as the 3th natural beautiful waterfalls in Luang Prabang, beside Khoang Si and Tad Sae. However, this waterfall is more rural and less touristic.
The project is lead by Lao Green Group.
The Zip-line course provide a soft hiking to the top of waterfall then climb up to the higher trees then enjoy the fresh air with 12 stations and 900 meters of Zip Line down to the Valley between the trees across the Green Jungle Canopy to the Green Garden Flower before abseil down of the tree and then back to the coffee shop by the Green Organic Trail. Services ends and clients come back Luang Prabang town by minivan.
Beside Zip-line, Rope course, combines with trekking and other adventure activities, are good choices for clients, such as:
1. Trekking Adventure
2. Rope Course Adventure
3. Zip Line Adventure
4. Trekking & Rope Course Adventure
5. Trekking & Zip Line Adventure
6. Zip Line & Rope Course Adventure
7. Full Day Trekking, Rope Course and Zip Line Adventure

SILKAIR LAUNCHES NEW DIRECT FLIGHT SINGAPORE-VIENTIANE

SILKAIR will launch flights to Vientiane and Luang Prabang in Laos on Oct 31, 2016. Subject to applicable approvals, SilkAir will offer thrice weekly flights on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Flights will operate in a circular routing and will depart from Singapore for Vientiane, followed by Luang Prabang, before heading back to Singapore.

HIGHTLIGHT: KHAIPHAEN RESTAURANT LUANG PRABANG

Khaiphaen Restaurant offers creative Laos cuisine in the heart of Luang Prabang with indoor and outdoor seating, open – to – the – air decorations.
Khaiphaen is run by Peuan Mit, an organization founded by Friends-International in Vientiane in 2004, in partnership with the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare to address the needs of street children and young people in Laos. All profits of the restaurant go to support other Friends International Peuan Projects.
The restaurant opens from Monday to Saturday, from 11:00am to 10:30pm. Along with food, the restaurants sell products made by families which will help keep their children in education.

Lao ministry lays out tourism goals

Lao PDR’s Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism estimates 4.3 million international tourists visited the country in 2015, representing an increase of 4%.

The government expects revenue from tourism in 2015 will reach USD670 million from 4.3 million estimated travellers.
Lao News Agency quoted the most recent official results saying international visits increased from 2.7 million in 2011 to 4.1 million in 2014 with revenue from the tourism sector jumped from USD400 million in 2011 to USD560 million in 2014.
Unlike its ASEAN neighbours, Laos does not release monthly tourism performance figures to the public.
The annual estimate for 2015, indicated that around 70% of tourists came from within the region, especially Thailand, while the other 30% come from Europe, America, Japan and Australia.
Meanwhile, there are now more tour companies than ever with an increase from 236 companies in 2011 to 342 companies in 2014. The number of hotels, guesthouses and resorts also jumped from 1,926 five years ago to 2,426 last year, the media report said.
Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism attributed the growth in tourism to improvements and developments of the sector following the improvement in organisational structure, which has resulted in a more systematic workflow.
However, the travel trade in Laos says the lack of current statistics and performance data makes it difficult to adapt in a timely fashion to marketing changes. They have repeatedly asked the ministry to improve its data collection and provide timely reports on where the market was heading, rather than offering a historical views that was dated more than one year.
The ministry talks about the country being named to the World’s Best Tourist Destination list in 2013 in its latest review and says ecotourism has improved constantly over recent years, without backing up its claims with data.
It hopes to stimulate tourism by improving ecotourism in rural areas, promoting sustainability, and supporting cooperation between state and private business in ecotourism development.
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport suggested the country needs to build new gateway airports or expand current airports substantially to stay competitive.
It has identified four airports; Wattay, Luang Prabang, Savannakhet and Pakse airports.
A new international airport must be built on the outskirts of Vientiane. Construction should begin in 2025 and be completed before 2030. It will be built to accommodate the world’s largest commercial aircraft including the A380.
The transport ministry has also recommended that new international airports be built in Champasak, Savannakhet and Luang Prabang.
The six domestic airports to be renovated are in the provinces of Oudomxay, Luang Namtha, Huaphan, Phongsaly, Xayaboury and Bolikhamsai.
Four regional airports are to be upgraded as international airports; Xieng Khuang, Bokeo, Seno of Savannakhet and Attapeu.

Bank refreshes Luang Prabang’s tourist sites

Asian Development Bank is funding a US$10 million project to improve Luang Prabang’s tourist sites, in districts close to the World Heritage town.

Twenty tourists have been identified many of them in Pak Ou and Chomphet districts.
Lao News Agency quoted Luang Prabang Information, Culture and Tourism Department deputy director, Soudaphone Khomthavong, saying that there are 228 tourist sites in Luang Prabang province, of which 108 are ecotourism sites, 86 are cultural and 34 historical.
The 20 tourist sites that will be improved include Kuang Si waterfall, Xiengthong temple, Chan village, Xanghai village, Chomphet temple, Tham Ting cave, the national museum, That Phousi and the Tad Sae waterfall.
The improvements are being entirely financed by the Asian Development Bank and work is expected to be complete by 2019.
The funds will be used to improve access roads, install electricity lines, construct a river port and renovate temples.
Last year, over 600,000 tourists visited Luang Prabang and authorities claim the province earned USD189 million.
Luang Prabang’s tourism officials believe the World Heritage town will receive 700,000 international visitors by 2018.
The town has 76 hotels and resorts, 327 guesthouses, 286 traditional and international restaurants and 75 tourism companies.
Luang Prabang was recognised as a World Heritage site in 1995.It has captured the imagination of travellers because of the fusion of traditional and French colonial architecture during the 19th and 20th centuries and its chill-out ambience that still survives despite a tourism boom. It is one of the few remaining towns in Asia that reflect a blending of two distinct cultural traditions.

Luang Prabang's balancing act

Luang Prabang Province has integrated sustainable tourism development of culture, history and nature as a key component to creating more income for local people in the province and reducing poverty, Lao News Agency reported.
Soutdaphone Khomthavong, deputy director of the Information, Culture and Tourism Department of Luang Prabang Province, reported to the 10th Party Congress on Jan 20 that Luang Prabang currently has 228 tourist sites that are open for public service, of which 86 are culture, 108 are nature and 34 are historical sites.

The province intends to improve and facilities including hotels, transportation services and promote the rich cultural and traditional heritage of the nation, she said.

Luang Prabang was awarded the Golden Award for Top Tourist Destination for seven consecutive years. It has also been named an outstanding world heritage town of Asia.

Over the past five years, Luang Prabang Province has welcomed over 1.8 million tourists that generated income of over US$650 million for the province.

Last year, over 600,000 tourists visited Luang Prabang Province including domestic and foreign tourists which contributed more than 1.6 trillion kip (US$200 million) to the provincial economy.