Luang Prabang Hotels: The Tough Keep Going
By Bernie Rosenbloom An early January survey of 116 Luang Prabang hotels shows more than 25% remain open. Many suggest the domestic tourism market in the country of 7 million stands at just 150,000 people. Yet, Luang Prabang’s hotel open rate is an achievement considering the country remains closed to foreign tourists. Pullman Luang Prabang
Centara Hotels & Resorts Lands in Laos
Centara Hotels & Resorts is jumping into Vang Vieng with fresh management contracts for two riverside hotels. The properties are expected to reopen in late 2021, after they complete their refurbishment programmes. According to TTR Weekly, the deal includes Centara Riverside Resort Vang Vieng (formerly Thavisouk Island Hotel) and Thavisouk Riverside Resort & Spa Vang
Luang Prabang Hotels Battle Covid Lockdown
By Bernie Rosenbloom Last week, Lao Derm COO and WeAreLao MD John Williams conducted a survey of 116 hotels in Luang Prabang to discover if they were open or closed. He passed the results to me yesterday, an hour after I wrote Don’t “Delete” Skift’s 2021 Tourism Trends. Skift suggested chain hotels were most likely
Santa Delivers an Elephant to Laos
ECC Press Release Our hopes for elephant conservation in Laos increase with the birth of a new boy on Xmas Day! There are so many things that make this a feel-good story. As you may know, the Elephant Conservation Center of Laos has not had too much luck with the previous pregnancies. The last two
Lao Tourism Revenue: Please Check my Math
In 2011, tourism development guru, Peter Semone, told the 3rd LANITH Symposium, “Today we will discuss how…to achieve one billion dollars in revenue by 2020.” His crystal ball appeared to be working, as 2019’s take was USD 934,710,409. A 2020 billion-dollar target looked doable. But who is spending how much? Thailand looks good. They generally spend
Covid Can’t Catch We Are Lao in 2020
“Something is better than nothing” – Ancient Chinese Proverb by Bernie Rosenbloom Covid clobbered tourism and hospitality coffers in 2020. All sizes of businesses took big hits. Plenty shuttered their doors. Others toughed it out and found something to do. WeAreLao joined them. Doing nothing felt naked. Netflix, news, and reruns of sports matches only
WHO Questions Covid Vaccine as Travel Panacea
The much-awaited vaccine has started the cellular battle against Covid. Tourists will soon be flooding to newly-opened destinations. One shot and I’m good, right? Wrong. And for once, a doctor responds to a vaccine question with, “Not sure”. Simply put, the main goal of the vaccine is to “prevent widespread death,” said Dr. Michael Ryan,
Laos Tourism 2019 Stats: What if?
Op-Ed: Bernie Rosenbloom Suppose it is 1 Jan 2020, and we’re pouring over the Tourism Development Department’s “2019 Statistical Report on Tourism in Laos”. At a glance, Laos has plenty of reasons to smile. Arrivals jumped 14% to 4,791,065, revenue surged ahead 15.2% towards USD 1 billion, and Green Season is soaring. However, where visitors
Video: Meet the Makers in Made in Lao Fair 2020 Ep 1
Meet the makers in Made in Lao Fair 2020. Loads of great people and products. All unscripted, and apologies for the poor YouTube production. My first try. Please Subscribe.
Holiday Tourists Flock to Vang Vieng on Long-Awaited Expressway
By Bernie Rosenbloom Lao President Bounnhang Vorachit cut the ribbon to open the Vientiane-Vang Vieng Expressway on 20 December, unleashing hordes of domestic tourists on the 110-km speedway to the holiday retreat. Drivers heavy on the pedal report travel times of an hour, a far cry from the half-day scenic tour on Route 13. The
