An aerial view of Luang Prabang. - Tourism Luang Prabang
VIENTIANE: Luang Prabang province ranked as the first of the best places to visit in Asia in 2025, with 22 places selected by Lonely Planet and listed on its website.
The website said the first best place to visit is Luang Prabang, the second is Bangkok, the third is Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and the fourth is Hoi An in Vietnam.
Also on the list were the Hungary Valley in Pakistan, Jaipur in India, Pokhara in Nepal, Ella in Sri Lanka, Singapore, the Kerala Backwater in India, Petra in Jordan, the Maldives, Penang in Malaysia, Paro in Bhutan, Setochi in Japan, Seoul in South Korea, Siargao in the Philippines, Bali in Indonesia, Samarkand in Uzbekistan, Yunnan province in China, Tokyo, and Hong Kong.
Luang Prabang also recently won an award in a category titled 2024 Green Destinations Top 100 Stories, in recognition of its efforts to ensure responsible tourism and maintain its distinctive appeal.
Laos was one of 32 countries on the Green Destinations 2024 Top 100 Stories list, which was unveiled in October.
Luang Prabang was the first and only destination in Laos to be selected as one of the 2024 Top 100 Destination Sustainability Stories under the theme “Preservation of architectural housing styles in a world heritage area”.
Luang Prabang province was also recommended by the American magazine “Time” as one of the 50 greatest places to visit in 2023.
The magazine called Luang Prabang “a hidden paradise”, saying the turquoise waterfalls, Buddhist temples, and sunset boat trips on the Mekong River are just a few of the province’s highlights.
Luang Prabang is one of the most well-known provinces in Laos and is a top tourist draw because of its riverside location, old temples, quaint streets and alleyways, colourful festivals, and scenic beauty.
The town’s old quarter was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1995 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), which determined that its architecture was culturally significant and worthy of preservation by the United Nations.
Popular attractions in and around the town include the Phu Si stupa, Sae waterfall, Kuangxi waterfall, and the large night market which is renowned for the many handicrafts on sale.
Over 1.9 million domestic and foreign visitors visited Luang Prabang province in the first 11 months of this year, an increase of more than one million tourists compared to the same period last year.
This tourism surge has helped generate over US$1 billion in revenue.
Over 1.3 million visitors were foreign, an 87.43 per cent rise, with the top 10 sources of visitors being China, South Korea, the USA, Thailand, France, Sweden, Austria, Germany, Canada and Japan. - Vientiane Times/ANN
