Vientiane is planning new tourism routes, evening attractions, and a city pass to encourage visitors to stay longer and spend more locally, while a new Lao Travel app will give tourists a way to book accommodation, transport, and other services.
The push comes as Vientiane’s tourism sector posted strong results in 2025.
The Tourism Development Department Vientiane Capital reported the city welcomed more than 2.2 million visitors last year, generating over USD 621 million in revenue and surpassing its targets of 2 million visitors and USD 600 million.
To sustain the growth, the authorities have organized new tourism routes around “Slow Tourism & Cultural Heritage.”Authorities have grouped four inner routes covering spiritual heritage sites such as Thatluang and Sisaket temple, national landmarks like Patuxay and the Presidential Palace (Horkham), the Mekong riverfront around Nam Phou Fountain Square and the Night Market, and local arts and weaving communities.
Three outer routes extend into Sangthong, Hadsayfong and Pakngum districts, covering temples, historical ruins, protected forest areas such as Phou Phanang National Protected area, and traditional handicraft and farming communities.
More Nighttime Attractions
Beyond the routes themselves, since Vientiane currently offers visitors few nighttime activities, authorities are prioritizing evening attractions to encourage tourists to extend their stay from the current one to two nights and spend more money locally, according to the authorities.
Officials have proposed light shows at the Patuxay monument, along with cultural and acrobatic performances at the National Culture Hall and along the Mekong riverfront.
Authorities are also studying a Vientiane City Pass, a single ticket covering multiple attractions, drawing lessons from similar systems at Cambodia’s Angkor Wat and Vietnam’s Hoi An.
Additional proposals include a stamp-collecting Vientiane City Passport, expanded signage, QR code information points, multilingual audio guides, and measures to reduce plastic use and improve tour guide services.
Complementing these efforts, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced on 18 September the launch of “Lao Travel,” an app that lets visitors book accommodation, transport, and other services, supporting the broader push to modernize the tourism sector.
