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Laos-Malaysia tourism ties set to expand
Two-way travel between Laos and Malaysia has seen an increase in recent years, a trend that is expected to continue.
Malaysia Ambassador to Laos Dato' Than Tai Hing said that since Malaysian-based low-cost airline Air Asia started its direct air service to Vientiane in December 2007, the number of travellers between the two countries has increased quite substantially.
Tourist arrivals in Malaysia from Laos increased from 35,000 in 2009 to 38,000 last year, and are expected to exceed 40,000 this year. Meanwhile, tourist arrivals from Malaysia to Laos increased by 11 percent, from 14,000 in 2009 to about 15,500 in 2010.
“The figure is rather small and can be improved because with the direct flight from Kuala Lumpur, Lao people can fly conveniently to Malaysia and vice-versa,” said the ambassador.
With the addition of a direct flight to Vientiane, AirAsia has contributed to the realisation of the Asean Connectivity Master Plan in the region.
“We strongly believe that there will be an increase in the arrival of tourists from Laos to Malaysia and we hope that AirAsia will increase its daily flights and also operate on domestic routes in the future,” he added.
The ambassador made the comments during the Malaysian Travel Mart seminar held on Friday in Vientiane.
Also in attendance at the seminar were Managing Director of Best Home Mr Kim Kok Sai, Marketing Officer of Tourism Malaysia Mr Keo Oudone and Tourism Officer of Tourism Malaysia Ms Fazling HJ Fadzil, as well as participants from tourism offices and travel agencies in Vientiane and the provinces.
The event aimed to enable travel agents and travel industry representatives of each country to meet and exchange their business plans to increase two-way tourism.
During the seminar, the ambassador also highlighted that Laos has a long history with many popular historical sites and attractions.
He said Laos also has great potential for socio-economic growth as it has vast reserves of renewable energy from hydroelectricity, which will become one of its main sources of income in the future.
The number of tourists visiting Laos reached 2.5 million last year and the number is expected to exceed 3.5 million by 2015.
Malaysia is striving to place itself as one of the most favoured holiday destinations in the world. Over recent years, the tourism industry in Malaysia has experienced rapid growth and is now its second largest foreign exchange earner, after manufacturing.
Overall, Malaysia enjoyed total tourist arrivals of more than 24.5 million in 2010, which is expected to increase to 36 million by 2020.
“We would like to highlight four tourism sectors that have great potential in Laos, namely eco-tourism, educational tourism, medical and health tourism, and the Malaysia My Second Home Programme.”
The Lao tourism sector has indirectly enhanced the development of other sectors through the creation of employment opportunities and improvements to living standards in rural communities.
“Laos is preparing for Visit Laos Year 2012 and Malaysia is preparing for Visit Malaysia Year 2013, which will coincide with Laos hosting the Asean Tourism Forum,” the ambassador said.
“There is a great potential for our two countries to further cooperate in the tourism industry for the mutual benefits of our peoples,” he added.
vientiane times
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