These goals were highlighted in a report presented by Lao Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune, at the ministry's Fifth Party Congress concluded in Lao capital Vientiane on Thursday.
The minister said the government will tap the development potential of Laos' natural, historical and cultural tourist attractions, which will also help to alleviate poverty in local communities.
Local daily Vientiane Times on Friday quoted the minster as saying that it is essential to improve infrastructure and facilities and develop new tourism products that impress visitors, while ensuring their safety and avoiding damaging impacts on communities and the environment.
Laos has the potential to produce organic crops for supply to tourism-related markets and to reduce imports, but services must be improved and a wider variety of tourism products and activities offered to visitors, he said.
From 2015-2019, more than 21.76 million foreign tourists visited Laos, an increase of 17.7 percent compared to the previous five years. The average length of stay by foreign visitors in Laos is eight days.
Income from tourism rose by 41.7 percent over the past five years and the number of official tourist sites increased by 1.1 percent.
As of 2018, there were 670 hotels, 2,432 guesthouses and resorts, 2,646 restaurants and 305 entertainment venues, according to the ministry's Tourism Development Department.
There are numerous officially-designated tourist attractions including 1,318 nature-based sites, 596 places of cultural interest, and 294 places of historical significance.
From January to September in 2020, the number of international visitors reached only 18 percent of the target, a decrease of 74 percent compared to the same period in 2019, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, said the report.
Apart from the pandemic, one of the main challenges to tourism in Laos is inadequate road access to tourist sites while land and air transport connecting to the main tourism markets remain unsatisfactory.
Despite these challenges, the government is working to promote tourism by encouraging Lao nationals to travel around the country in a bid to support local economies. The government has a clear policy to promote connectivity and integrate its tourism industry with the rest of the region, particularly Vietnam, China, and other ASEAN countries, said the minister in his report.
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