Visit Laos Year 2024 has launched in Vientiane with the theme, “A
Paradise of Culture, Nature and History” and with hopes of attracting
4.6 million visitors.
Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone has urged the entire country to get
behind Visit Laos Year, telling those attending the launch, “This is an
opportunity to showcase Laos’ rich culture and traditions to the world,
to create a memorable experience for visitors, and encourage them to
revisit Laos in the future.”
The Visit Laos 2024 logo shows an elephant holding a khaen (a musical instrument) as a symbol of good luck and prosperity.
Government statistics show that Laos welcomed more than 2.4 million
foreign visitors in the first nine months of 2023. More than one million
arrived from Thailand, 600,000 from Vietnam, and nearly 480,000 from
China.
According to the Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism, the
increased influx was attributed to improved accessibility facilitated by
faster travel on highways and the Lao-China railway, which has become a
popular means of transportation.
As the Asean Tourism Forum 2024 approaches, scheduled in Vientiane, Laos from 22 to 27 January 2024, it's time to explore why this emerging destination might become the next big thing for travellers.