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- advance booking: How far in advance to book depends largely on when you go. A general council is therefore like any general council: k
- Gerard: Indeed, since the Covid issues, we only book through the company. And no longer via other providers such as Opodo
- Paul: It is best to book directly with the company. In case of cancellations or delays, they can help you immediately. Becomes different
- Ben the Cook: What a ridiculous proposal from the government. Now they have tourists, the weather is not good. Ok if it cleans up the beaches
- Mister BP: Almost everything is correct except booking 2 to 4 months in advance. You must book when the company has just given its permission
- Mike: That's right, book as far in advance as possible.
- Geert: That's true. Recently confirmed by the embassy in Brussels…
- Nicole Tiele-Mehauden: We go to our home in Chiang Rai every year for 6 months (end of September - end of March), so we are seasoned travelers. *We bo
- René: Erik, I found this via the link in my previous response, so you can assume that this is correct. “Valid passport Take
- Ruud: Well... first shout from the rooftops that they want many more tourists than that they are going to do everything to make that easier
- René: Very strange I see online. Indeed not cheap, around €45 to €100 per person, which is high by Thai standards.
- Eric Kuypers: René, has that changed? I believe that the passport should be valid for another six months from departure from TH.
- Marc Dale: Yet another confirmation of what we have known for a long time. The “just come here” policy is based on m
- René: Is the double or often much higher entrance fee not enough for the foreigner? They know the ins and outs of discrimination.
- freddy: Book only on the official airline websites, to save a lot of hassle in case of rebooking, cancellation, etc.
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Home » Reader question » Reader question: Why is Laos not a tourist destination?
Reader question: Why is Laos not a tourist destination?
Dear readers,
Why is Laos actually not a major tourist destination? The country is Buddhist, cheap, beautiful nature, people are friendly. Yes, there are no beaches, but is that the cause?
Who can tell me more about it?
Regards,
Anton
There are a lot of reasons, like most of the time, not just one.
1. very poor infrastructure, both in terms of transport and accommodation
2. still many things that remind of the time once referred to as a communist utopia, especially in the bureaucracy
3. besides the nice, but not really different landscapes from TH or VN, there are hardly any real sights, except that town (large village) Lg Prabang
4. The Laos government prohibits contact between their residents and those strange white noses, they are not allowed to sleep in 1 room and HTLs also see to that (well, it's still Asia)
5.Visa requirement, although that is in fact no longer paying as an entrance and waiting a long time at the border, but that scares many
6. The catering industry lags behind that in TH or VN and in smaller places there is simply nothing to eat after 18/19.00 pm, everyone is at home and it is sometimes still pitch dark due to no electricity
7. Prices have recently risen sharply, much more expensive than TH, due to link to the CNY and high inflation (converted into € or US$ - even Laotians working in TH complain a lot about that!)
8.Laos is especially popular with budget drinkers and ganja smokers, for reasons that Dutch people will understand. AND with hordes of Chinese (there will soon be a through train from there), but that again deters Europeans
and there are probably other deterrents, which I leave to the persecutors
Been there myself 2x, the 1st x shortly after 2000 when it was still really making do in everything and was working on the edges of the tourist-bisnis
4. is a bit more nuanced. Laos prohibits unmarried sexual contact between Lao (m/f) and foreigners (m/f). Laos also has a problem with kidnapping and forced marriage of Laotian women and especially Chinese (because of the male surplus in China).
“The Lao Government prohibits sexual relationships between foreign and Lao nationals, except when the two parties have been married in accordance with Lao family law. Permission for marriage or engagement to a Lao national must be submitted in a formal application to the Lao authorities. Penalties for engaging in prohibited sexual contact or failing to register a relationship range from US$500 to US$5,000 and may also involve imprisonment. It is not unknown for Lao authorities to demand entry into hotel rooms or guesthouses where they suspect this regulation is being broken.”
Source: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/laos/local-laws-and-customs
en https://theaseanpost.com/article/trafficked-brides-heading-china
Ever heard of the Ho Chi Minh route, many explosives are still intact and pose a major problem, the second reason may be that the Lao government opened the country to John with the Cap tourist not so long ago.
I was there a number of years ago, a beautiful country. And I think and I don't understand why the trips there are so expensive compared to Thailand, Cambodia or Indonesia, so I would like to know from the editors how that is possible. And I I think many will agree with me. Yours sincerely.
I really like Laos and especially Luang Prabang, a “must” to visit.
It is still very primitive outside LP and there is a lot of poverty, but lovely people
However, I stumbled over the number of Dutch people when I was there last year… Anyway, answer to the question: possibly because you cannot fly directly to the capital from (NL in any case), but first via Bangkok. The infrastructure is much less developed, both in the literal sense of roads, but also tourist facilities. It also doesn't seem to help that you always need a paid visa to enter the country. Whether the communist regime is a contra or a pro (turned out to be), I will not comment on that.
The statement that it is a beautiful country is undeniably true. With something for everyone: culture, nature, religion, eventful history, friendly inhabitants, good food. Laos now seems to profile itself as the region's eco-sport destination, in any case, and that will explain why, as I wrote, you will mainly stumble over the many, especially younger, compatriots.
I have no idea, but I will let you know soon 😉 January 2, I will leave with my daughter for Bangkok a few days later with the night train to Laos. thailand.Mvg Peter
Laos not a tourist destination? Read these facts:
http://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Laos/sub5_3d/entry-2990.html
https://www.tourismlaos.org/files/files/Statistical%20Report%20on%20Tourism%20in%20Laos/2018%20Statistical%20Report%20on%20Tourism.pdf
Four million tourists a year on a population of 8 million. Thailand has 35 million tourists out of a population of 70 million, so comparable. Tourism to Laos has also grown quite a bit: over the past 10 years at about 7 percent per year. They earn an 800 million dollars a year, 5 percent of the gross national product, less than Thailand possibly because the tourists only stay in Laos for an average of 5 days.
Watch out for pickpockets and not all Laotians are friendly.
Will probably still have to do with the Vietnam War as Laos was bombed the most
country ever is. Furthermore, they tend to mistake every white person for American. And just any one
There is also no (holiday) partner to your room or apartment. Now they often sleep at the reception
and you can smuggle your partner past the reception that way.
Laos also seems like a nice destination for a few days or a week. You can also make beautiful jungle tours. Some Thai friends of mine have gone camping or even gone through the jungle with a guide for a few days. It's still on my list, but I think it's less fun on my own. I'll see if the next few years the opportunity arises to do with someone else/others.
I think Laos is a very beautiful travel destination.
My topper is Luang Prabang.