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Malaysia to promote Lao tourism
Laos stands to attract more visitors from Malaysia once a television campaign highlighting tourism sites goes to air in the fellow Asean country.
“A Malaysian media team will cooperate with us to film some TV segments in Laos this month,” Lao National Tourism Administration's (LNTA) Tourism Marketing and Promotion Department Director General Mr Saly Phimphinith said yesterday.
The media team will arrive in Vientiane within the next few weeks and spend over a week filming in Luang Prabang province and Vientiane. LNTA officials in each area will assist with and facilitate the filming at various tourism sites.
“The cooperation project is a key part of promoting tourism growth between the two countries,” Mr Saly said.
Malaysians travel to Lao s for both holidays and to explore business and investment opportunities. There were 13,816 visitors from Malaysia to Laos in 2009 and 15,427 last year. However, back in 2008 Laos enjoyed 15,625 visitors from Malaysia.
“The tourist numbers dropped from 2008 going into 2009 due to the impact of the global financial crisis,” he said.
By comparison, about 38,000 Lao tourists visited Malaysia last year, about an 8.57 percent increase on the year before.
Mr Saly said he believes tourist numbers from Malaysia will increase again this year and into the future due to an increase in cooperation projects, including airlines, trade and investment, between the two countries.
According to Malaysian Ambassador to Laos Mr Dato' Than Tai Hing, increased economic cooperation between Laos and Malaysia has boosted tourist numbers.
vientiane times
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