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Lao New Year To Extend Over a Five Day Period This Year

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Laotian Times
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Lao New Year

Lao New Year, known as Pi Mai Lao, is traditionally celebrated for only three days from April 14-16. This year it has been extended to five days .

Officials have announced that since April 15th and 16th occur on a weekend (Saturday and Sunday), April 13 (Thursday) and April 17 (Monday)  will officially be added as public holidays in compensation.

The government has requested for all state departments and citizens of the country to celebrate the national festival in hopes of preserving the traditions and customs of the Lao people, as well as promoting tourism.

In an announcement made by the Prime Minister’s office earlier this week, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport was called upon to work with the necessary sectors to launch a road-safety campaign and facilitate traffic to ease congestion during the holiday.

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce was instructed to confer with relevant sectors to guarantee an ample supply of food and goods available in local markets at this time of high demand. Furthermore, the relevant authorities were advised to oversee that merchants do not take advantage of the public, by raising prices unreasonably,

The Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism was advised by officials to collaborate with other provinces across the country to encourage people to celebrate Pi Mai Lao in line with Lao traditions and customs.

During the holiday, numerous activities will be organised nationwide with special attractions occurring in major towns and at popular tourist sites. These activities draw a massive number of domestic and foreign visitors, who enthusiastically take part in water fights and other scheduled events.

Traditionally and as the New Year approaches, local authorities will announce the details of activities to be organised in certain locations.

Vientiane Airport Expansion Falls Behind Schedule

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Laotian Times
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Wattay Airport Vientiane Immigration

The project for expansion of the Vientiane International Airport terminal is now falling behind schedule.  Construction began in December 2015 and is expected to be complete by 2018.

According to the project’s monthly schedule, construction should have been at 16 percent completion by last month but has only progressed to about 13 percent.

However, Project Director Mr Sengsangouane is confident the project will be back on schedule by the middle of the year.

A variety of factors have contributed to the setback of the extension, including a lack of coordination between the sectors involved, delays in the import of equipment and materials and document approvals.

The airport expansion is one of the government’s priority projects. The passenger terminal building, access roads, car park, rapid exit taxi lane and other facilities are all set to be renovated to accommodate the future increase of people passing through its terminals.

The upgraded facility will allow for passengers to travel comfortably, assist in a boost to tourism for the country, and permit new international routes to be introduced.

In keeping with the country’s economic growth rate, which exceeds 7 percent annually, airline passenger demand in Laos has significantly increased in recent years.

According to recent reports, Wattay International airport was accommodating about 202 international and 270 domestic flights per week.

Between 2000 and 2009, the number of passengers passing through the airport increased by 9 percent on average each year.

In 2014 the airport accommodated  690,000 international and 300,000 domestic passengers and is projected to serve an additional 1.9 million international and 460,000 domestic passengers by 2023.

To facilitate the renovation of the deteriorating 50- year-old domestic terminal, services have been relocated to a temporary terminal built in October of 2016.

As of December of last year, the west side of the international terminal has had its foundation established, while the east side of the terminal, piling work has been carried out to support the building.

According to the Embassy of Japan to Laos and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA),

the west side of the terminal and its concourse are expected to be functional in August 2017 while the east side is expected to accessible in December 2017.

The airport continues to play an important role as a position for economic activities, serving as the main gateway into Laos.

The project is being financed by a concessional loan from the Japanese government of about 9 billion Japanese yen.

Laos Sees 10 Percent Drop in Foreign Tourist Numbers

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Laotian Times
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Foreign Tourists to Laos Down by 10 Percent

While Lao Nationals hit an all time high for travelling abroad in 2016, as previously reported by The Laotian Times, the number of foreign visitors entering Laos has dwindled after several consecutive years of visitor growth.

According to statistics provided by the Tourism Development Department of the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, Laos reported an average annual growth in foreign tourist arrivals of 10.7 percent over the past five years. However,  in 2016 just over 4.23 million foreign visitors came to the country – a drop of 10 percent since 2015,

Collectively, visitors from the other nine ASEAN member countries dropped by an estimated 14 percent to 3 million people. Tourists from the Asia Pacific region dropped by 11 percent to  about 3.9 million people, and visitors from the Americas dropped by 3 percent to just 86,211 people.

Though the number of tourists from some regions have increased, it is marginal compared to how many visitors the country has lost overall. Visitors from Europe, and Africa and the Middle East, increased by 2 percent and 6 percent last year to 221,952 people and 11,263 people respectively.

Travellers from Thailand and Vietnam, the majority of foreign visitors to Laos, dropped significantly to just over 500,000 visitors.

An official gave several potential reasons for the decline of visitors to the country, explaining that Thailand has been encouraging their citizens to take tours in their own homeland by offering special promotions and incentives.

This includes granting Thai nationals the ability to claim a reduction on their personal income tax, equivalent to what they spent while on holiday if they spend it within the country.

Additionally, the number of foreign tourists entering Laos in previous years was boosted by Vietnamese workers entering the country on tourist visas and finding work illegally.

However, governments within ASEAN, including Laos, have been strictly enforcing measures to regulate foreign workers, which is speculated to have deterred Vietnamese workers from entering Laos, thus reflecting a decrease in the number of Vietnamese in Laos on tourist visas.

The official also brought up that the cost of living in Laos has increased and could also be a contributing factor for the vast reduction in visitors. Living costs in neighbouring countries, for example, Thailand are significantly lower than in Laos.

The official suggested that Laos should attempt to put more effort into attracting tourists from Muslim countries. By providing prayer rooms in public places along with promoting halal restaurants the country would be more welcoming to Muslim visitors if such facilities were provided, especially in the provinces.

Statistics indicate that visitors from Muslim-majority countries like Brunei and Indonesia have dropped by 44 percent and 17 percent to just 484 and 5,010 visitors respectively in 2016.

It is urged for Lao tourist authorities to do more to promote tourism in the country, starting with an official comprehensive website where all tourism-related information can be obtained. The website should include tourist attractions, transportation, accommodation, a calendar that indicates when and where a cultural festival will take place and any other related costs visitors should anticipate.

It was added that  the Tourism Development Department is requesting insight from other departments regarding the decline in tourist entries in order to identify common grounds and take steps to remedy the situation.

Tour facilitators have expressed that a lack of tourist activities, underdeveloped facilities at tourist sites, and the absence of direct flights to many countries seemingly discourage tourists and are factors that need to be addressed.

A Whopping 9000 Newly Registered Vehicles in Only Two Months

By
Laotian Times
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9000 new vehicles in vientiane

Thanks to the stimulated economy and continuing socio-economic development in Laos, reports show that in the first two months of 2017, approximately 9000 vehicles have been  newly registered.

The Vientiane Public Works and Transport Department disclosed that just in January and February alone, there were 8,972 newly registered vehicles, bringing the number of newly registered vehicles in Vientiane Capital to 807,991 units since 2000.

Newly registered vehicles this year contain 5,642 motorcycles, 808 sedans, 483 pick-up trucks, 489 jeeps, 119 vans, 406 heavy trucks and 25 buses.

A total 0f 69,000 newly registered vehicles was reported for 2016.

It is speculated by the authorities in the department that the purchasing volume of vehicles has increased due to the boost of civil servant’s’ monthly salaries.

As a result, the influx of vehicles has heavily contributed to traffic congestion and road accidents within the city of Vientiane.  Last year, more than 1,000 road accidents were reported nationwide.

Lucky Draw for Bangkok Airways Dated 11/03/2017

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admin
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This Facebook link thumbnail image template was created by Christian Karasiewicz, owner of www.christiankonline.com

Last month, the month of Love, Express Food Group Co, a the subsidiary of RMA Group offered a special campaign for customers of The Pizza Company, Swensen’s and Dairy Queen at all store branches  to win one of three special prizes: a trip to Phuket, and two round-trip tickets from Vientiane-Bangkok, generously provided by Bangkok Airways.

All clients from February were eligible to receive a coupon to participate in this campaign and all of the coupons were drawn in order to find the winners on 11 March 2017 at the Pizza Company at Vientiane Centre. The event was attended by Mr Korbsouk who was a representative from Bangkok Airways, Mr Matthieu Hotel) who is the General Manager of Express Food Group, Ms Monemany Sopha, a marketer of Express Food Group.

The lucky winners were

  1. Ms Sengaloun Soundala residing at Phonepapao Village. Mob: 7712 1488
  2. Mr Daosavath Dethphommathed residing at Phonethun Village. Mob: 020 98066662
  3. Mr Phetsana Souvannaphong residing at Phonethun Village]

 

Bangkok Air Bangkok Air 1 Bangkok Airway 4

Please follow us on The Pizza Company Laos, Swensen’s Laos, Dairy Queen Laos, Texas Chicken Laos Facebook pages. We offer special campaigns every month. So, don’t miss out!

Vientiane Sustainable Urban Transport Project Underway

By
Laotian Times
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transport vientiane

Vientiane is tackling the issue of its over crowded and congested streets by focusing on improving non-motorised transport and public transport in the city.

While speaking to the Intergovernmental Tenth Regional Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST) Forum in Asia at a meeting on Tuesday, Vientiane Vice Mayor Mr Keophilavanh Aphaylath explained that the project will encourage people within the city to use more sustainable modes of transportation.

The Vice Mayor acknowledged that the rapidly growing number of motorised vehicles has brought new challenges to the city and that the influx of cars and motorbikes has caused congestion, air pollution, accidents and rampant parking intrusions.

With regard to sustainable transport initiatives, Laos has participated in the UNCRD‘s Initiative on Environmentally Sustainable Transport and joined the EST Forum.

The Minister of Public Works and Transport,  Dr Bounchanh Sinthavong has stated that the city has completed a number of significant studies, particularly the Vientiane Urban Transport Master Plan in 2008, the Study on Low Carbon Transport System in Laos in 2012, Ongoing Green Freight Transport and many others.

During the ASEAN Summits, hosted by Laos as the Chair of ASEAN last year, Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith delivered the Laos Paris Agreement ratification instrument to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

The Intended Nationally Determined Contribution for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions was implemented with the assistance of a new project funded by the Global Environment Facility in partnership with UNDP and the Department of Disaster Management and Climate Change.

“Besides these studies, we have been implementing many EST projects, such as a new system to improve bus services and piloting electric buses in the capitals of Luang Prabang and Champassak provinces,” Dr Bounchanh explained.

It was added, that almost US$100 million was secured, co-financed by the Asian Development Bank, OPEC Fund for International Development, European Investment Bank, European Union, Global Environmental Facility, the private sector and the Lao government to implement the alleged Vientiane Sustainable Urban Transport Project.

The project will drastically improve urban transport operations and capacity in Vientiane through five major components: bus rapid transport, parking facilities, non-motorised transit, traffic management, and urban transit management agency.

The forum is expected to provide valuable opportunities, insight and technological knowledge towards the effectiveness and sustainability from other cities on urban transport.

Statistics Show Lao People Traveling More Than Ever Before

By
Laotian Times
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Lao People Traveling More

In 2016, Laos reported that an astonishing 3.05 million outbound travelers crossed its borders to other countries.

According to statistics presented by the Tourism Development Department at the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, the number of Lao nationals traveling by plane was at a record high in 2016 compared to previous years.

Wattay International Airport reported 81,800 outbound Lao nationals in 2016, slightly up from 81,064 people and 76,985 people in 2015 and 2014 respectively.

More than 1.46 million people were recorded leaving the country via the Laos-Thailand Friendship Bridge.

However, according to the department, information regarding the travelers’ spending and length of stay has not been obtained due to funding shortages.

The statistics were collected from 14 international checkpoints across the country and indicate that those Lao provinces sharing borders with Thailand have registered the highest numbers of people crossing their checkpoints when travelling abroad.

The statistics did not specify the destinations of the travelers, however.

Lao officials and tour operators speculate that it is due to the Lao people’s well-being and  increasing incomes that has enabled them to indulge in more vacations abroad.

The government report showed that average gross domestic product (GDP) per capita has increased to US$2,027 (more than 16.2 million kip) in the 2015-2016 fiscal year. The figure is expected to further rise to US$2,341 (more than 18.7 million kip) by 2017.

GDP per capita is projected to reach US$3,100 (more than 24.8 million kip) in 2020 when the Lao population is expected to increase to 7.3 million. In turn the Gross National Income (GNI) per capita is predicted to reach US$2,450 (more than 19.6 million kip).

A local tour agency has shared that package tours to South Korea, Malaysia-Singapore-Indonesia, and Japan have been popular destinations for Lao outbound tourists, and they are customizing more packages for their clientele every day.

Switzerland Revives Agriculture and Forestry College in Laos

By
Laotian Times
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Laos sets goal for 70 percent forest cover by 2025

The Swiss government has granted US$4.2 million for the third phase of the Support to the Reform of the Agriculture and Forestry Colleges (SURAFCO) project in Laos.

The objective of SURAFCO is to reinforce the quality and practical teaching in all five Agriculture and Forestry Colleges of Laos. The program is set to run from 2017 to 2020.

The technical support to accomplish the project is provided by HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation and will focus on improving skills-based education, management of the colleges, campus infrastructure, updating teaching equipment, facilitating knowledge distribution and exchange events.

An agreement was signed on Monday by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Dr Phouangparisak Pravongviengkham and Director of Cooperation for the Mekong Region of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Mr Tim Enderlin.

The renewed funding assists in the development of proficient human resources required to promote the modernisation of the agricultural and forestry sector in Laos.

The donation to the Reform Strategy of the Government of Laos will boost the number of qualified agricultural and extension workers in the public sector, employees in the private sector, self-employed farmers and entrepreneurs who can accompany the transition from subsistence-based to market-based agriculture.

The project has allowed the country to advance towards a commercial based agriculture system and provides the quality of human resources required by the public and private agricultural sectors.

The SURAFCO project has transformed the Northern Agriculture and Forestry College in Luang Prabang province into a centre of excellence for relevant upland agriculture education.

The five Agriculture and Forestry Colleges nationwide have benefited from the experience and are utilizing the same skills-based and student-centred curriculum. The nationally revised curriculum consists of 60 percent practical teaching and 40 percent theory to qualify for a higher diploma.

Within 2 years of graduating, 80 percent of graduates from the first two project phases between 2009 and 2016, had successfully found employment or were self-employed. Feedback from the public and private sector employers reveal that the education is seen as relevant and that graduates are capable of sufficiently applying what they’ve learned to their trade.

Mr Enderlin stated that  SURAFCO project responded to the needs of destitute rural communities and contributed to the country’s efforts to reduce poverty.

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