Vietnam ranks second in international arrivals to Laos in the first quarter of 2024

According to the Lao Tourism Development Department, statistics from the first three months of 2024 showed that there were more than 1.1 million international visitors to Laos, an increase of 34% over the same period in 2023. Thailand is the country with the largest number of tourists to Laos with 337,689 visitors, followed by Vietnam with 263,165 visitors.

The Xayaboury Elephant Festival is one of the unique festivals that attracts a large number of tourists to Laos. (Photo: TRINH DUNG)

Recently, the Department of Tourism Development under the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism said that there were more than 1.1 million international tourists coming to Laos in the first quarter of 2024. The Lao tourism industry is making positive changes to be able to complete, even exceed the target that the country has set of welcoming about 4.6 million international visitors by the end of this year.

The largest number of tourists to this country came from Southeast Asian countries with 620,250 arrivals. Next came Asia- Pacific with 374,353 arrivals, Europe with 84,778 arrivals, and America with 35,191 arrivals. At the bottom were Africa and the Middle East with 2,539 arrivals visiting Laos in the first quarter.

Thailand is the country with the most tourists visiting Laos with more than 337,689 arrivals. Vietnam continues to be the second largest source of international visitors to Laos with 263,165 arrivals. China, South Korea and the US are the countries with the next largest number of tourists to Laos in the first 3 months of the year.

As soon as it reopened after the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, Laos identified 2024 as the national tourism year with the slogan "safe travel, enjoy culture, history and nature", aiming to promote tourism development, create more jobs for society and increase foreign currency revenue for the country.

Looking back at 2023, Laos welcomed more than 3.4 million international visitors, an increase of 164% compared to 2022, bringing in revenue of more than 1 billion USD. Domestic visitors increased by 14% compared to 2022 with more than 1.9 million visitors.

Laos is one of the attractive destinations, suitable for those who pursue the trend of slow travel. This country owns many long-standing cultural destinations, retains its pristine beauty and is largely unaffected by commercialization.

In addition to the goal of reaching domestic and international tourism markets, the Lao tourism industry is gradually improving service quality and diversifying products to meet the needs and expectations of tourists.

With a strategy of developing sustainable tourism, Laos considers this the key to preserving the environment and natural resources. From there, it focuses on types of tourism such as cultural tourism, environmental tourism, rural tourism, culture, history... to bring economic and social benefits to local communities.

Source