Visitor numbers slump in Vangvieng

The number of people holidaying in Vangvieng district, Vientiane province, has dropped in recent weeks due to the coronavirus outbreak, which has had a particular impact on the number of Chinese and Korean tourists.
Head of the district Information, Culture and Tourism Office, Mr Bounmy Phommavongsa, told Vientiane Times on Friday that tourist numbers were down because some governments had instructed their citizens not to travel, in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus.

Some visitors have cancelled tours as well as bookings at hotels and guesthouses, while some employees are taking a break from work because of the fall in visitors, he added.
District authorities in cooperation with health officials are informing local residents about ways to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, although no cases have yet been confirmed in Laos.
In the absence of the usual crowds during the peak tourist season, employees at tourist attractions are taking the opportunity to clean up facilities and check the safety standards of various adventure activities, Mr Bounmy said.
In addition to Vangvieng, Bokeo province has taken a hit due to the virus and has temporarily closed the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in Tonpheung district to reduce the risk of coronavirus infection.
The zone is closed from February 9-25.
Bokeo authorities also cancelled the annual Kapok Festival, which was scheduled earlier this month, as the province borders on China, where the coronavirus is widespread.
The government had hoped to draw 1.2 million Chinese tourists to Laos this year but may have to lower expectations in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, which is severely limiting tourist travel. In addition, the total overall number of visitors may fall this year as people may be reluctant to come to Laos because of its proximity to China. Some 10,844 patients infected with the coronavirus have now been discharged from hospital after recovery. As of February 17, a total of 1,770 people had died of the disease and 70,548 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in China, Xinhua reported.

By Siladda Souliyong
(Latest Update February 25, 2020)