A street in Luang Prabang city’s old quarter. - Vientiane Times/ANN
LUANG PRABANG: Luang Prabang authorities are hoping to attract more than 2.3 million visitors to the tourist hotspot this year, aiming to earn US$1.27 billion in revenue, according to the Luang Prabang Provincial Information, Culture and Tourism Department.
Head of the Department, Soudaphone Khomthavong, said the goal is to attract 522,270 Lao visitors and 1,784,105 from other countries. She cited the figures during a meeting to prepare for the 2025 tourist season.
To achieve this, the province will improve infrastructure and make improvements at popular tourist attractions, including Kuang Xi waterfall, Xiengthong temple, Phu Si stupa, Luang Prabang National Museum, and Tham Ting cave. These upgrades will modernise facilities and generally enhance the visitor experience.
The 2025 target represents significant growth in Luang Prabang’s tourism ambitions. Under the tourism development plan for 2025-2029, the province aims to welcome 10 million visitors by 2029, including six million foreign tourists.
Efforts to ensure tourism is sustainable are being concentrated on eight villages in three districts and one town has been nominated for a 2025 ASEAN Standard Award.
Luang Prabang currently has 158 operational tourist attractions out of 228 listed sites. The province has 123 tour companies, 384 restaurants, 58 entertainment venues, 41 massage and spa facilities, and 435 guesthouses. With an additional 116 hotels and resorts, Luang Prabang can accommodate 11,280 tourists each day.
Tourism authorities are also working to improve the skills of personnel in the hospitality industry to ensure high-quality services in both the public and private sectors. These initiatives aim to solidify Luang Prabang’s status as a top tourism destination in Laos.
Luang Prabang received more than 2.3 million tourists in 2024, including 1,551,334 foreign nationals.
This figure included 459,297 visitors from China, 175,575 from Thailand, 151,189 from the South Korea, 113,164 from the USA, 90,499 from France, 80,885 from Japan, 59,607 from Germany, 51,325 from Canada, 43,560 from Australia, and 41,254 from the United Kingdom.
Luang Prabang has been hailed in foreign newspapers and magazines, with the Travel and Tour World website recently naming the town as one of the top ten places to visit in 2025.
In another accolade, Luang Prabang was ranked first among the best places to visit in Asia in 2025 out of 22 locations selected by Lonely Planet.
Luang Prabang also 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.
In 2023, Luang Prabang was also recommended by the American magazine “Time” as one of the 50 greatest places to visit.
Luang Prabang is one of the most well-known towns 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, which determined that its architecture was culturally significant and worthy of preservation. - Vientiane Times/ANN
