Hotels and restaurants in Laos have upgraded their standards to provide an even better service for tourists during high season, says an industry representative.
“We are ready to welcome and serve tourists who plan to visit Laos during this high season,” said the Lao Hotel and Restaurant Association President, Mr. Pakasith Chanthapanya ahead of the upcoming That Luang festival.
Laos has been recently seeing an uptick of tourists pouring in from around the world following the government’s order to reopen the country in May 2022, after two years of living under international Covid-19 restriction policies.
Mr. Pakasith informed that many hotels and restaurants utilized the pandemic period to train their staff and improve service quality to prepare for the return of tourists once the restrictions were lifted. He also urged other businesses in the hospitality industry to follow suit as they form the backbone of the Lao Tourism industry.
He added, “Now that the situation concerning Covid-19 has improved, we are starting to see international tourists traveling again. Laos is one of the top destinations for tourists.” Laos has also made it to travel lists curated by prestigious magazines like National Geographic and Wanderlust.
According to the Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism, the number of foreign tourists visiting Laos grew from nearly 36,000 in May to almost 172,000 in June, bringing the total to roughly 212,000 in the first half of this year. They also estimated that approximately one million visitors would visit Laos in 2022. So far, more than half the tourists visiting Laos have been from Thailand, 30 percent from Vietnam, and 10 percent from other countries.
Mr. Pakasith said that travelling on the high-speed Laos-China railway would remain a primary attraction for visitors from neighboring countries, particularly Thailand. He was also positive that once China eases its international travel rules, Laos can expect to welcome numerous Chinese tourists, which will benefit local hotels and restaurants.
Lastly, he voiced his belief that Lao business owners, with their extensive knowledge and skilled workforce, will provide excellent service to foreign tourists.
“Generally, Lao people are kind and generous; this is the strength of our service sector and makes tourists feel at home,” he said.
