Laos has been included in a list of the world’s fastest-growing tourism destinations with one of the highest increases in visitor numbers year-on-year.
According to statistics compiled by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), international tourist arrivals grew by 4 percent in 2019.
Not surprisingly, France and Spain topped the list of the most popular countries internationally, but the UNWTO reports the Middle East (+8 percent) was the fastest-growing region for tourism, with Asia and the Pacific following close behind, up by 5 percent.
The Americas saw the least growth in tourism, down 2 percent, with the US down 1.3 percent.
According to Britain’s Independent online news website, the top twenty fastest growing tourist destinations in the world are:
Myanmar topped the list of fastest-growing tourism destinations, while Vietnam took 7th place and the Philipines 8th position.
Laos has taken 16th place in the list of top twenty fastest-growing tourism destinations in the world.
In 2020, the Lao government expects to attract around 4.7 million international visitors and raise more than USD 900 million in revenue.
More than 756,900 Chinese visitors came to Laos in 2019, an increase of about 26 percent over the same period in 2018, with the Vist Laos-China Year being hailed as a success by authorities.
Vientiane Times reported that the department of Tourism Marketing under the Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism, is working on a campaign to encourage Lao people to travel within the country, as part of the national socio-economic development plan for 2020.
