Domestic and foreign arrivals to Laos slid 0.5%, but still topped 1 million, in the first three months of the year compared to the same period in 2018, while Chinese visitor numbers soared 16%. Actual figures were not reported.
Vietnamese visitor numbers rocketed 20% over last year’s Q1. Vietnam was the second largest market in 2018 at 867,585, a 2% drop from 2017, with China coming in third at 805,833, a 26% y-o-y leap.
According to the Vientiane Times, the Tourism Development Department, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism reported numbers from Thailand, Laos’ top market, sank 9%, and Korean arrivals tumbled 32%. In 2018, Koreans accounted for 174,405 visitors on a slight jump of 2% over 2017.
Source: Siladda Souliyong, Vientiane Times
