New flights planned between Laos and China

Hainan United Airlines and the Lao Tourism Promotion Department put the wheels in motion for a new route between Hainan, China, and Vientiane and Luang Prabang. The Vientiane Times reported that an agreement signed on 21 May between the two countries calls for a flight departing from Vientiane to Haikou City in Hainan on Wednesdays … Read more

Jeep along the Hidden Coffee Trail

Mr Khamsone knows coffee and the rough roads that reach the best beans on Southern Laos. Armed with an army jeep, his Paksong Adventures now shows visitors the real deal for growing Robusta, Arabica and Typica in untouched areas, unknown by tourists in the far reaches of the Bolaven Plateau. A tour rumbles through the … Read more

Celebrate Children’s Day at MandaLao

June 1st is Children’s Day, and what better way to spend this family day than with a special Elephant family at MandaLao.  Children under 16 can come at no charge, and accompanying adults price will be charged $30 for any tour.  Remember our tours have limited numbers, so get in quick.  Proof of residency may … Read more

Laos Plans Major Tree Planting for Arbour Day

Laos is setting its tree-planting sites high for celebrating Arbour Day and International Children’s Day on 1 June, with a plan to sow saplings on 27,000 hectares in 2018. Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Dr Lien Thikeo said combining the two commemorative days would help create awareness among children about the important role forests play. … Read more

Price Freeze on Rice & Noodle Dishes: Government

Vientiane diners look set to get a good deal on popular Lao dishes. According to “Laopost”, The Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MoIC) announced a new price control policy in Vientiane Capital on pho, kao piek, kao pat, and kao latna. The notice, dated 25 May, stated that the one-dish menus should not exceed 15,000 … Read more

An Ethnic Food Journey to Toilets

What started as a Mark Wiens’ Travel for Food vlog, ended up as toilets in a remote Khmu village in Luang Prabang. Earlier this year, Mark Wiens, with 1.9 million YouTube subscribers, approached White Elephant Adventures (WEA) to enquire about embarking on a tribal food-based trip for his vlog.       “Of course we could,” said … Read more

Tourism to boost growth in Lao PDR

by Eijas Ariffin According to World Travel and Tourism Council, in 2017, the total contribution from travel and tourism to Lao PDR’s gross domestic product (GDP) was around US$2 billion, which accounted for 13.7 percent of total GDP. This figure is expected to rise up to US$3.3 billion by 2028. The growth of the tourism … Read more

Mekong Kingdoms Launches Ultra-Exclusive River Cruiser

Mekong Kingdoms is proud to announce the maiden Mekong River voyage of Gypsy, an ultra-exclusive two-cabin river cruiser, between the ancient Laos capital of Luang Prabang and Thailand’sGolden Triangle, in May 2018. A private tailored three-night, four-day cruise from Luang Prabang to the Golden Triangle and a two-night, three-day cruise from the Golden Triangle to Luang Prabang for up … Read more

Asian Trails Laos Changes Management

The Asian Trails Group announced that Philippe Conod, will retire from his role as a Managing Director of Asian Trails Laos as of 6 June, and has tapped Virginie Kury as the new General Manager as of 16 May.Ms Kury will report directly to Thuy Tien, who assumes role of Managing Director for both Vietnam … Read more