Pakse Airport to reopen in two months

KPL) Champassak re-improves its Pakse airport and hopes it will be ready for use in May, according to an official.
Head of the Civil Aviation Department, Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Mr. Yakoua Lorpangkao, said that the improvement of Pakse Airport began in March 2008 and would take 20 months.
Although the improvement was over the airport could not be used after a test run in November last year. The improvement had been conducted with inappropriate techniques so the airport is being re-improved now, according to Mr. Yakoua.
The improvement includes the expansion of its runway from 1,625 m long and 36 m wide to 2,400 m long and 45 m wide in order to enable the airport in this southernmost province to support large aircrafts such as Boeing 737s and Airbus 320s.

Bokeo: Stupa aged 500-600 in Mekong River emerges

(KPL) A big stupa dating back to the era of Souvannakhomkham ancient town some 500-600 years ago, has come into view in the middle of the Mekong River, Tonpheung district, Bokeo province, following the unprecedentedly low level of the water level.

Located on an island opposite Done Savanh village, the stupa is assumed to be part of a Buddhist monastery because traces of an ordination hall were also found nearby. The discoveries also include 26 old Buddha images.

Among the 26 Buddha images include nine made of copper, 16 small images of Bho leave-like structure, and a lion Buddha image. A few Buddha images are still in a good state.

Mr Khanthong Keopaseuth, a specialist of the Tonpheung Information and Culture office, said last week that the big stupa was first visible in the middle of the Mekong River last November after the river started to recede. Later, the authorities of Tonpheung district in cooperation with the Dork Ngioukham company pulled the three-metre tall stupa up by using an excavator.

Now all the Buddha images have been kept in a safe place at the Vat Done Savanh temple.

The discoveries prove the existence of the cradle of civilisation of the ancient Souvannakhomkham township in the area of Tonpheung district. So far artefacts have been found widely in the district.

According to the archaeological research, the Souvannakhomkham ancient town is estimated to date back to 500-600 years ago.

SEA Games Muslim athletes and sports officials can pray in Vientiane Jamia Mosque

( KPL .16.11.09 )Vientiane Jamia Mosque welcomes SEA Games Muslim athletes, sports officials, supporters and tourists who would be here during the SEA Games period next month to do their Friday prayer and the five daily Muslim prayers (fazar, zohor, azan, magrib and isyak) in its premises.
This mosque is located in the tourist belt area and so it is right in the centre of this capital city. The newcomer Muslims could use the city's iconic "Namphu" (fountain) as a landmark, walk down Setthathirath Avenue for 40 metres until he reaches a directional sign, follow the arrow and he would come to the mosque, distinguished by its three spires.
Imam or religious teacher of this mosque is Maulana Nazimul Islam, who hailed from Assam province, India, and he leads the Friday prayer.
According to a committee member of the mosque. Mr Mohd Lokman bin Abdul Rahman, there are 900 to 1,000 Muslims in Vientiane. Quite a few of them originate from Pakistan and India. Another group are Lao Muslims and he said there are 200 of them. A small group are Muslims who are attached to the embassies here, such as Malaysia and Brunei.
He told KPL News on November 11 that he is happy to act as a guide to the Muslims who will be here in connection with the SEA Games and show them nice places in Vientiane. His contact number is: 020-5528-576.

Laos aims for quality tourism by 2020

The Lao National Tourism Administration (LNTA) yesterday launched its national tourism Human Resource Development (HRD) strategy in a bid to strengthen the tourism industry in Laos .

The strategy, titled “Achieving Service Quality Through People”, was launched in Vientiane at an event attended by tourism officials and overseas guests involved in the project.

Minister and LNTA Chairman Somphong Mongkhonvilay said at the opening of the launch he was convinced that by strengthening institutional cooperative frameworks and the technical capacity of Lao people, service quality in the tourism industry could be improved.

“This will have the end result of expanding opportunities for employment and profit making in this dynamic sector and establishing mechanisms for sustaining our fragile ecosystems, heritage and culture,” he said.

Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of Luxembourg to Laos , Mr Marc Franck, said the launch of the human resource development strategy was the culmination of a year of extensive work in research, analysis, stakeholder consultation and the crafting and design of an appropriate vision and strategic recommendations.

“Today marks not the end of a journey, but rather the beginning. Now more than ever before in Laos ' brief tourism history, it is essential that all sector stakeholders band together to achieve a common vision for the future,” Mr Franck said.

That vision will make Lao tourism internationally competitive through improved service quality, he added.

Recognising the importance of tourism as one of the country's major engines of economic growth and poverty alleviation, the government of the Grand D uchy of Luxembourg has committed itself to helping Laos strengthen human resources in the hospitality and tourism industry through the establishment of the Luxembourg Development project LAO/020.

In addition to commissioning the national HRD strategy, the project has recruited and mobilised 17 young teachers to Luxembourg and Singapore to undertake two years of professional studies in hospitality and tourism.

In 2010, the project will start construction of a National Tourism and Hospitality Training Centre as well as the development of national tourism related curricula and supporting teaching materials.

The two part publication detailing the strategy summarises the extensive fieldwork and research undertaken and sets out to map a vision for the hospitality and tourism industry during the period 2010 to 2020.

It is estimated that by 2020, Lao tourism will directly employ 40,000 people. This will require skills improvement of the existing 17,000 strong workforce and the development of another 23,000 new entrants into the tourism labour force.

Project LAO/020's Chief Technical Advisor, Mr Peter Semone, said “The story of successful tourism destinations and enterprises is one that is largely about people - how they are recruited, how they are managed, trained, educated, valued and rewarded, and how they are supported through a process of continuous learning and career development.”

In addition to the launch, a number of provincial events will be organised in the coming months to ensure broad dissemination of strategy both nationally and throughout the Greater Mekong Sub-region.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update November 3 , 2009)

Luang Prabang takes steps to attract more Chinese tourists

Luang Prabang province is seeking to streamline immigration procedures with Xieng Houng city in Yunnan province, China , to boost tourism between the two cities.

The Luang Prabang Provincial Tourism Department has submitted a proposal to the Lao National Tourism Administration and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to consider the possibility of allowing all Chinese nationals travelling from Xieng Houng to Luang Prabang to pass through immigration checkpoints using only a border pass.

The move aims to simplify the current complicated visa procedure and bring more Chinese visitors to the province, according to the department's Director, Mr Khamphouy Phommavong.

“I believe if all Chinese tourists are allowed to enter our province using only a border pass, similar to Vientiane residents visiting Nong Khai and Udon Thani provinces in Thailand, it would significantly boost tourist arrivals from China,” Mr Khamphouy told Vientiane Times.

He said currently Chinese nationals wishing to travel from Xieng Houng to Luang Prabang are required to obtain a visa in Kunming , the capital of Yunnan province, which can take some time.

There is a system already in place to allow travellers from Xieng Houng to visit Luang Prabang using a special document instead of a visa, but the cost of obtaining the document is exorbitant and not an option for most people .

Mr Khamphouy said Chinese officials had proposed the scheme.

“We held talks with Xieng Houng tourism officials and they proposed that we introduce a policy of using only border passes instead of visas and passports,” Mr Khamphouy said.

Xieng Houng also shares borders with northern provinces of Thailand and a streamlined procedure allowing nationals of those nations to cross the border using only a pass book has already been introduced, he said.

“We have already sent an example of this kind of pass book to the Foreign Ministry and the Lao National Tourism Administration for consideration.”

Mr Khamphouy believes that the current complicated procedure means many Chinese tourists travel to other neighbouring countries instead of Luang Prabang and Laos .

Luang Prabang is a popular tourist destination with tourist arrivals continuing to swell despite the economic recession.

Tourist arrivals to the province increased from 344,029 visitors last fiscal year to 372,833 this fiscal year. Of that figure domestic visitors increased from 112,454 to 127,750, while foreign arrivals jumped from 231,575 to 245,083 people, according to figures collected by the department.

By Souksakhone Vaenkeo
(Latest Update September 30 , 2009)

http://www.vientianetimes.org.la/FreeContent/free_Luang.htm

Laos to build new Luang Prabang airport

(KPL) Laos will start construction of its new Luang Prabang airport next year and put it into operation in 2013, said Khampheng Saysompheng, Vice-Governor of Luang Prabang province.
The cost of building of the new airport is estimated at 86.4 million USD, provided by a special credit from the Chinese government under an agreement reached during a recent visit to China by Lao President Choummaly Sayasone.
The new airport will have a 3,000m of runway, parallel with the existing ones. It will be capable of accommodating large-sized aircraft like the Airbus 380. The new airport is expected to fuel tourism, the attraction of foreign investment, and socio-economic development in the province.
Thanks to direct flights to Luang Prabang from Hanoi, in Vietnam, Bangkok, Udon Thani, and Chiang Mai in Thailand, and Siem Reap in Cambodia, up to 70 percent of tourists fly to Luang Prabang, the jewel of tourism of Laos, which has been listed by the UNESCO as a world heritage site.