Laos feels loss in foreign visitors

[reader]

From Vientiane Times

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN): While domestic travel is on the rise following government efforts to reduce the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on tourism-related businesses, the upturn is unlikely to offset the complete absence of foreign tourists.

President of the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Oudeth Souvannavong, told Vientiane Times on Monday the slump in tourism was not only affecting businesses but was having a huge effect on the income earned by local people.

“Many people are cautious about spending because of the prevailing uncertainty, ” Oudeth said, adding that only a small percentage of the population could be categorised as rich and middle-class so overall spending was not doing much to boost tourism.

The sharp drop in travel has resulted in job losses in tourism-related businesses such as hotels and restaurants, which account for 11 per cent of all jobs and 22 per cent of jobs in urban areas.

Oudeth said many people had taken trips with their children during the school holidays but only a few places such as Vangvieng and other popular places close to the capital had benefitted.

And with the start of the new academic year on Sept 1, domestic tourism is certain to see a downturn.

According to a recent World Bank report, hotels and other places of accommodation, restaurants, tour companies and transport operators have been the hardest hit. Some small concerns are reportedly going out of business, while many expect recovery to take up to one year.

“If the local and global virus outbreak continues over the second half of the year, the loss in tourism revenue could be more than US$500 million, or 2.7 percent of GDP, ” the World Bank report stated.

 

[Guest]

Will Laos actually feel the loss sufficiently to permit tourists back into the country ?

I've put an extract from gov.co.uk below.    No visas issued to people from countries with Covid.

I've been to Laos 3 times so far.    It is undoubtedly another one of these countries that does next to nothing about general health and safety on the roads, building sites etc, yet when there is a small risk from Covid,  they're prepared to shut down large parts of the economy.     And I would say the risk really is smaller  in Laos, since the median age is 24.4 years and they don't tend to have obesity issues either.  

 

 

Entry requirements in response to coronavirus (COVID-19)

Entry to Laos

The Government of the Lao PDR has suspended the visa on arrival service at all international entry points. No visas are being issued to people travelling from a country with cases of COVID-19, including the UK. However, the Lao authorities may consider granting entry permission for foreigners (experts, technicians and foreign nationals that are required for essential projects) who wish to come to Laos.

[Midguy1]

When borders reopen, Vientiane is definitely on my list.  I only visited once for 3 days but loved the city.  I only hope that some of the quaint restaurants and bars have made it through the crisis, would really like to revisit them.

 

[PeterRS]

I hope you will also consider visiting Luang Prabang the old royal capital. It is a fascinating small city that is now a Unesco World Heritage site.

[fedssocr]

I did the Vat Phou Mekong River cruise a few years ago which was really nice. Amazing sunrises and sunsets, great service, good food. And then did a little tour in central Laos which didn't have much in the way of services, hotels, etc. but the nature is spectacular. 

If they ever get their act together Laos could be a great ecotourism destination.

[Guest]

The trip from Vientiane to Luang Prabang involves some very twisty and mountainous roads (first pic), but is well worth it.

However, I believe the railway from Vientiane to China, via Luang Prabang is due to open in 2021.   No doubt there will be advantages and disadvantages.

If you visit Luang Prabang, don't forget to visit the Kuang Si waterfalls nearby.   All photos from 2009.

 

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, z909 said:

 

If you visit Luang Prabang, don't forget to visit the Kuang Si waterfalls nearby.....   

 

and caves of 1000 Buddhas

 

I found Plain of Jars very interesting but that's bit too far for 1 day trip, doable but very tiring

 

[Midguy1]

Thanks for sharing those pics.  I'm definitely now going to be researching Luang Prabang and the Plain of Jars.  I've attached some pics from my Vientiane trip.  I'll try and take some more interesting pics in future as hope to contribute more to this forum. 

 

[Guest]

2019 Laos

Buddha park near Vientiane.   Better than the one in Nong Khai, by the same person.

Temple in Vientiane

Plain of Jars

Bus on the main road from Vientiane to the south of Laos

Chinese New Year in Pakse

Goats at the Plain of Jars

[tm_nyc]

Thanks for posting the beautiful photos.  Nice reminder of what a wonderful place LP is.  

As for Vientiane, I only visited there once & thought that there wasn't much there, gay or otherwise, to see & do.  Maybe I should give it another try.

[Guest]

23 hours ago, tm_nyc said:

As for Vientiane, I only visited there once & thought that there wasn't much there, gay or otherwise, to see & do.  Maybe I should give it another try.

Vientiane is certainly rather quiet.   I spent my time wandering around the town, visiting temples, drinking coffee, visiting the traditional Laos sauna & occasionally meeting someone off the phone apps.

Here are some photos from 2012, in the region around Pakse.   

Except for the Jag, which is in Vientiane.   That seems to have been resprayed between then and the Midguy visit.   Nice car, but I'd rather have the Traction Avant seen earlier in the thread.

 

[fedssocr]

I think I also visited those waterfalls plus some others. There's a big complex of waterfalls right near the Cambodian border. 

[tm_nyc]

Very nice photos, z909! 

As for the cars, I prefer the looks of the Jaguar but for a car that would actually run, I agree that the Traction Avant is preferable.

Also, I'd like to hear more about the traditional Lao sauna.

[PeterRS]

Love the photo of the old red Citroen. Exactly the same model as my father drove for some years, although his was black. He loved that car!

Last word on Luang Prabang. Although it was about 15 years since I was there, I booked a gay evening tour of the city's nightspots. A lovely young guy took me around on his motorcycle. Nothing much happening in the one bar and one club that I recall, perhaps because I was smitten with my young guide!! He was gay and would have come to my room but this was prohibited in my guesthouse. I am sure visitors are allowed in most places, but frankly do not know for sure.

On my last afternoon I was sitting by the river when school came out. Two boys who were probably around 17 or so sat at the next table. Obviously gay, they flirted with each other and also with me. Then one came up and asked if I liked his friend - because he liked me!!! Told him I had no time, but also he was a bit too young for me.

[spoon]

I believed when i research a bit on rules of having guests in laos before, there is a rule that prohibits local in foreigners hotel room. Whether it is still enforced, not entirely sure since i never tested it as i went there with a cambodian hehe.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, spoon said:

I believed when i research a bit on rules of having guests in laos before, there is a rule that prohibits local in foreigners hotel room. Whether it is still enforced, not entirely sure since i never tested it as i went there with a cambodian hehe.

I've not had a problem with Laos guests in my room in Laos & have tested that policy several times. Although I've only ever done short time, not overnight.

As a comparison, I'm not entirely sure all of my male on male activities were legal in Malaysia or Singapore.

When I first went to Laos, they used to have cruising around the Nam Phou fountain.  This stopped some time ago, as they installed some fancy restaurants there. However, the lad just took me off to a short time hotel in the suburbs on his motorcycle.  

One lad in Savannakhet suggested meeting at the local sauna, so that's where we went (2012).   This was rather dialapidated, compared with the other saunas in Laos.   Photos below.

I've also been to traditional Laos saunas in Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang & Pakse.   Some fairly subtle activity went on in all of them, except Luang Prabang.  Unfortunately, temperatures are a bit on the hot side for this.   One lad I met in the sauna in Pakse came back to my hotel.

Have also added two more photos of vehicles from Laos.  I'd have both the Traction Avant and the Jag in preference to the Variant, even if the latter would be more reliable. 

The last 3 photos introduce another mode of transport, from the 2 day boat trip up from Luang Prabang to Huay Xai.  The majority of tourists travel down river, but I configured the trip backwards, which is slightly slower and a lot quieter.   The boat stops off at Pak Beng at the end of the first day and there's a photo from my room looking down at the boats.  The Lonely Planet guide warns that the local kids will grab your luggage off the boat and carry it up the hill for a fee.  And there may be a scramble for the best hotel rooms.  When out boat docked, the downstream one arrived at the same time.   I grabbed my rucksack from the luggage area and set off up the hill as fast as I could, making it to the village quite some distance ahead of the other tourists. So I secured a nice room in the recommended hotel.   This was not exactly The Mandarin Oriental, but supposedly the best in Pak Beng.   

[captainmick]

22 hours ago, z909 said:

The last 3 photos introduce another mode of transport, from the 2 day boat trip up from Luang Prabang to Huay Xai.  The majority of tourists travel down river, but I configured the trip backwards, which is slightly slower and a lot quieter.  

Depends what you mean by “a lot quieter”.  I’ve done this trip twice, first travelling upstream like you, and more recently travelling downstream.  There were fewer people travelling upstream and in that sense the trip was “a lot quieter”.  However I preferred the downstream trip despite there being more people on board.  In noise terms, the downstream trip was “a lot quieter” because the boat is travelling with the rapid current of the river and the engine therefore runs at considerably lower revs with minimal noise and vibration making it a very pleasant and tranquil experience.  Going upstream the engine was at or near full revs resulting in noise, vibration and pollution all of which were pretty intrusive - the boat is doing the equivalent of running up the down escalator.   Having done both, I strongly recommend the tranquility of travelling downstream.   

[Guest]

3 hours ago, captainmick said:

Depends what you mean by “a lot quieter”.  I’ve done this trip twice, first travelling upstream like you, and more recently travelling downstream.  There were fewer people travelling upstream and in that sense the trip was “a lot quieter”.  However I preferred the downstream trip despite there being more people on board.  In noise terms, the downstream trip was “a lot quieter” because the boat is travelling with the rapid current of the river and the engine therefore runs at considerably lower revs with minimal noise and vibration making it a very pleasant and tranquil experience.  Going upstream the engine was at or near full revs resulting in noise, vibration and pollution all of which were pretty intrusive - the boat is doing the equivalent of running up the down escalator.   Having done both, I strongly recommend the tranquility of travelling downstream.   

I don't recall excessive engine noise on the trip.   I suspect the condition of the engine & exhaust is a big factor in noise levels.   Then going downstream, they have the option of taking it easy, or running the engine fast for a quicker trip.

What I did note was that the duration of the upstream trip was something like 10 hours on the second day, when I'd read various sources quoting 8 hours for the other direction.

Checking my photos, I clearly had different boats for the 2 days, since they have different engines.   Both Isuzu 6 cylinder.  No refinements such as air filters.  

More importantly, did you notice any differences due to development on and around the river from the first to second trips ?

 

[captainmick]

19 hours ago, z909 said:

More importantly, did you notice any differences due to development on and around the river from the first to second trips ?

Not much change with development other than a) new casino development by the fourth Friendship Bridge at Ban Houayxay and, further downstream, b) the new railway bridge carrying the Chinese funded rail line.  What I did notice on the second trip was far more rubbish - particularly plastic rubbish - both floating in the river and washed up on the river banks. Both trips were booked directly with Shompoo Cruises who I highly rate.