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Small Change, Big Impact at Apsara
The Apsara is among the first hotels to climb on board Luang Prabang’s “Plastic Free Bottle Initiative” that kicked off in January 2018, and the move is paying dividends. The hotel has switched to offering its guests glass bottles rather than disposable plastic water bottles. In 2017, the property used 2,275, 1.5-litre plastic bottles and 5,443, 600-ml plastic bottles. This small change to glass will save the Apsara approximately 15,000,000 kip (around $1,797 USD) in 2018, if the hotel occupancy remains the same the previous year. The Apsara noted, “It’s very encouraging to see how a small change can bring such a big impact.” Visit The Apsara.
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Luang Prabang in Big Push for Premium Visitors
Laos plans to work with foreign countries, including Thailand, to transform its former capital Luang Prabang into a premium destination for international tourists. The move is part of its national tourism campaign, “Visit Laos 2018”, in Luang Prabang last Saturday, aimed at increasing arrivals from 3.9 million in 2016 to more than 5 million in the coming year. “ ’Visit… Source: Bangkok Post. For the full article, click here.
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Laos Eyes eVisa
Laos is considering an eVisa system by early 2019, according to a tourism official attending the ongoing Mekong Tourism Forum (MTF) in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand. Reporting from the MTF, TTR said the official claimed it was now highly likely that Laos would follow the lead of neighbouring Myanmar and Vietnam to introduce an eVisa to boost travel. Discussing travel trends this year, he said tourist arrivals had increased by 3% during the first quarter of the year. It represents the first increase in tourist arrivals after two years of travel arrival declines. “It’s a positive shift in performance,” he said, “after two disappointing years.” Laos is in the midst of a Visit Year campaign that has been criticised for its lack of signature events, or campaign specific festivals. Laos registered an average annual growth rate in foreign tourist arrivals of 10.7% between 2000 and 2015. But in 2016, the country experienced its first major dip of 10% in arrivals on 4.23 million foreign visits. In 2017, the decline continued with 3.86 million visits down by 8.7%, based on figures released by the country’s Tourist Development Department, Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism. During preparations for the Visit Laos Year 2018, the country’s travel industry called for visa-free travel to boost arrivals during the special year, but requests were largely ignored at the government level. Introducing the Visit Laos Year campaign launched in October 2017 and due to end in December this year, the government hoped to reverse the negative trend. However, the Visit Laos Year budget was sparse and there was a lack of signature events and festivals specifically created for Visit Year celebrations. “I believe we are seeing signs of recovery and if the eVisa can be introduced in the long-term it will benefit tourism and provide momentum for the growth,” the tourism officials explained. Source: TTR Weekly
