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Sikhottabong Stupa Festival Date Announced
The annual Sikhottabong Stupa Festival in Thakaek, Khammouane Province will be held on 19 February. Sikhottabong Stupa The Sikhottabong Empire originally built Thakaek’s iconic 29-meter-high, golden-tipped That Sikhottabong Stupa in the 6th century. Lane Xang Kingdom’s King Phothisarat and King Saysethathirath refurbished it in the 1500s to its present form. A sizeable statue of 8th century King Sikhot, who ruled over the central Laos expanse, greets visitors to the stupa. People of north-eastern Thailand, Nakhon Phanom, and nearby provinces gather for stupa worshipping and entertainment. This is a special time to pay homage to one of the most sacred Buddhist stupas in the region. During the festival, there are religious activities along with a local trade fair and performances held around the stupa. Visit Khammouane.
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ECC Brings Honours Home to Laos from ATF
The Elephant Conservation Centre (ECC) nailed Laos’ slot on the 2019 Experience Mekong Collection (EMC) Showcase at January’s ASEAN Tourism Forum in Halong Bay, Vietnam, by taking top honours in the “Do” category. The ECCTeam The ECC captured the “Do” class for Laos by offering learning experiences with elephants led by a dedicated team of guides, mahouts and elephant veterinarians. Visitors can choose from several tour options at ECC’s Sayabouly Province home at the Nam Tien protected area and reservoir with bungalow accommodation. Created two years ago to recognize and encourage sustainable and responsible tourism development, the EMC, a Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) initiative, spotlights six organisations for their annual showcase. By choosing one organization from each Greater Mekong Subregion) country, the MTCO aims to endorse and select those exhibiting best practice tourism and are committed to sustainable and responsible practices. Showcases are thematically categorized by ‘DO’, ‘SHOP’, ‘STAY’, ‘TASTE’, ‘TOUR’, and ‘CRUISE’. “The importance of responsible tourism cannot be underestimated and the Experience Mekong Collection is a wonderful way of highlighting small business examples of good practice,” said MTCO executive director Jens Thraenhart. “In doing so, this sets several benchmarks to further improve travel experiences in the Greater Mekong Subregion. We hope this motivates other operators to become more involved and do their part for responsible tourism,” he said. Visit ECC. For more about the EMC, click here.
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Lao Airlines Focusses on Chinese Bookings
Lao Airlines announced Chinese inbound passenger bookings could soar to more than 240,000 in 2019, a 42% jump over last year’s 170,500 flight reservations. China is now the Lao national carrier’s top market. Lao Airline’s site shows 21 direct weekly flights to China. From Vientiane, seven flights head to Kunming, three to Guangzhou, two to Changsha, three to Chengdu, one to Changzhou, one to Shanghai, one to Wenzhou, and two to Jinghong. There is also a flight from Luang Prabang to Changsha. Lao Airlines plans to increase the number of flights from Vientiane to Shanghai to four per week to meet anticipated customer demand. “We’re expecting a significant increase this year because Laos’ tourist attractions are becoming better known, and there are more activities of interest to tourists,” Lao Airline’s Commercial Department Director Noudeng Chanthaphasouk told the Vientiane Times. “These are being promoted by the government and private sectors as well as our airline for Visit Laos-China Year.”
