November 06, 2017

South Korean visitors to Laos double over 3 years

By:  Vientiane Times, November 3, 2017

VIENTIANE - The number of South Korean tourists visiting Laos has doubled in the three years from 2014-16, according to report by the Tourism Development Department of Laos’ Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism.

The number has increased from more than 96,000 people in 2014 to more than 165,000 people in 2015 and to more than 173,000 people in 2016.

In 2016, January-March was the high season for Korean visitors. Some 21,269 Koreans came to Laos in January, 20,616 people arrived in February, and 15,696 people visited in March.

According to numbers released by the Incheon International Airport in Seoul, more than 2 million Koreans left the country for overseas travel during the long Korean Thanksgiving holiday in early October this year. The number one travel destination for Koreans was once again the Asean bloc. About 520,000 people travelled to Asean countries, a 26.2 percent increase compared to last year’s Thanksgiving holiday.

Meanwhile, more than 3 million Lao people left the country for overseas travel from 2014-2016.

The report by the Tourism Development Department cited the number of tourists from Asean countries who visited Laos.

More than 3.2 million tourists from Asean countries visited Laos in 2014, more than 3.5 million people came in 2015, and more than 3 million people visited in 2016.

According to the department, the number of foreign tourists is expected to be more than 4.8 million people this year, generating US$843 million in revenue.

In 2018 it is expected that at least 5.2 million people will visit Laos, generating about US$910 million in revenue.

More than 5.5 million people are expected to visit Laos in 2019, providing at least US$978 million for businesses, individuals and the government.

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