Phim Hay 360s

Photo: Calao hotel in Luang prabang

LUANG Prabang authorities have allowed Yunnan Copper Mining, a Chinese state-owned company to construct a major luxury hotel in Nadeua village, some 5 km from the centre of the world heritage town.

Director of Luang Prabang Tourism Administration, Mr Khamphouy Phommavong, said last month that the provincial planning and investment department had signed a MoU with the company, which green lights the US$5million investment to construct the hotel complex along the road to the Kuangxi waterfall, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the province.

Mr Khamphouy, who is also a member of the temporary committee which gave the approval, said that the committee had provided 35 to 40 hectares of land, and construction would commence at the end of the year.

Deputy Director of Luang Prabang Tourism Administration, Mr Khamtan Somphanvilay, confirmed yesterday that the construction of the hotel would begin in August, and the company is preparing materials and resources.

The development would feature Lao traditional architecture to maintain the charm of the world heritage town. Inside there will be a gym, entertainment venues, health centre and sport clubs, he added.

Mr Khamtan said that the hotel would have over 200 rooms, which would welcome more visitors, in particular from neighbouring China. He said that the Chinese people now have more money and the chance to travel than ever before.

He said that the investment of Chinese companies in tourist accommodations in Luang Prabang was initiated in 2006 when Lao President, Choummaly Sayasone, visited neighbouring Yunnan province to encourage Chinese investment in Laos.

“The Yunnan authorities sent representatives to visit Luang Prabang last year and expressed interest in the area,” he said.

He said that Chinese investment in the province reflects the growing relationship between two nations.

President of Guesthouse and Hotel Association in Luang Prabang, Mr Khoun Chanthaboupha, said that it was good news for Luang Prabang and its people as there is a shortage of high-class accommodation available.

He said that guesthouses and hotels were often fully booked during the high season, at the moment Luang Prabang is overcrowded with tourists.

He said that many tourists are forced into sharing rooms if they want somewhere to sleep.

There are 178 guesthouses with 2000 rooms and 30 hotels with 600 rooms. The maximum number of tourists Luang Prabang is able to deal with is around 3000 people, according to Mr Khoun.


By EKAPHONE PHOUTHONESY

Oudomxay province has announced the opening of Chom-aung cave as its newest tourist attraction.

The cave is part of the province's new long-term strategy to integrate its tourism industry with that of Luang Prabang province, to encourage visitors to the world heritage site to continue on to Oudomxay.

Officials said Chom-aung is one of the longest caves in northern Laos , and is located 40km from Xay, the largest town in the province, and is accessed by a gravel road.

The Head of the Oudomxay tourism office, Mr Sivan Bounsavath, said yesterday that only some parts of the cave were open to tourists. “The cave is very long, spread along a mountain range, and we are yet to find its limits,” he said.

He added that the cave, which officials had begun surveying in 2003-2004, is between 30 to 40 metres wide and has a permanent flow of water through it. Fish swim in the underground river.

Home stays are now available at Chom-aung Tai and Chom-aung Neua villages where tourists can take a two or three day trek.

A trip to the cave is part of the trekking programme to explore natural forests, waterfalls and farmlands and to see how local people make a living.

Officials said several caves are waiting to be developed for visitors, but the province has limited funding.

Xay, the provincial town of Oudomxay , is being developed with new buildings and roads and is rapidly becoming a gateway to the northern provinces .

Last year, tourist arrivals reached almost 70,000 people, an eight percent increase over the year before. Tourists enter the province from Bokeo or Luang Prabang province.

Mr Sivan said more than 100 tourists visit Pakbeng district on the Mekong River every day and some of them continue onto Xay.

O ne third of the tourists come from Western countries and the rest are from China and Thailand , he said.

Programme tours mostly feature trekking to observe the lifestyles of the 14 local ethnic groups and experience the natural environment.

According to the tourism office, Oudomxay province has eight hotels, 50 guesthouses, four resorts and 92 restaurants.

The main challenge is the undeveloped roads leading to the best tourism sites. In the rainy season, some sites are completely inaccessible, but the provincial authorities will be tackling this issue soon.

“We have seen the potential for growth in our tourism industry, but we also face a challenge to develop enough facilities and maintain the roads,” Mr Sivan said.

“Our strategy stipulates tourism development to generate income for local villagers as part of our poverty reduction plan,” he added.

By Somsack Pongkhao
Content: Vientianetimes
Photo: Ecotourismlao

(KPL) This year, the number of tourist arrivals in the country has soared to 1.4 million, up over the previous year’s. The majority of tourists are from neighbouring countries, especially Thailand.

According to the Lao National Tourism Administration, the number of tourist arrivals in 2007 stood at 1.4 million, up from 1.2 million in 2006.
Mr Soukkaseum Phothilad, Deputy-President of the Lao National Tourism Administration (NTA) last week disclosed that this year the Lao PDR was able to earn at least US$ 200 million from the tourism sector.

He said that the major destinations were Vientiane Capital with 800,000 arrivals, followed by central Savannakhet province with 192,000 arrivals and Luang Prabang province with 151,700.
An NTA official said that the rise was attributed to the abundance in ethnic minorities, natural beauty, the world heritage status of tourist sites, archaeologies and the hospitality of Lao people.

Photo: A sticky rice field on top of the Pha Pon Golden Mountain near Luang Prabang, Laos. A Hmong villager stands admiring the sea of clouds below. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/hleung/2071568156/in/photostream/)

Perhaps the world's most famous newspaper, the New York Times, recently named Laos as number one of the world's top 53 tourist destinations to visit in 2008.

Author of the Travel Section of the newspaper, Mr Denny Lee, collected information on the most attractive destinations in the world, and named Laos as the number one place to visit this year.

In his report, Mr Lee states that “Vietnam and Cambodia are so 2007. Now, Laos is shaping up to be Indochina's next hot spot. Ancient sites like the Vat Phou temple complex and Vientiane are drawing culture seekers”.

“F oreigners have praised us because our Party has a clear policy on tourism development that conforms with the latest in world's trends,” the Director of the Lao National Tourism Administration's Marketing Promotion Department, Mr S aly Phimphinith, said on Monday.

Mr Lee mentions the unique delight of a luxury teak houseboat cruising down the Mekong.

“Global nomads are heading to Luang Prabang to sample the Lao tasting menu at 3 Naga, or hang out by the infinity pool at the seriously upscale Résidence Phou Vao.”

Tourist destinations continue to be improved, and the tourist sector has increased its efforts to promote tourism. The government has successfully developed the tourism infrastructure as well as improved all facilities for tourists in the country, Mr Saly said.

The administration has also extended cooperation with neighbouring countries and international organisations to attract more foreign tourists to Laos, he said.

“The country offers stability and safety, while at the same time preserving its many national heritage sites as tourist attractions, and this part of the world has therefore become an attractive destination in which to relax,” Mr Saly said.

Due to the beautiful scenery and views, those tourists interested in nature, as well as fine culture, historical sites and the lifestyle of Lao ethnic groups and Lao people are drawn to the region.

The tourism industry plays a very important role in Lao's economy. It generates sustainable incomes for all Lao people and helps to remove people from the despair of poverty, Mr Saly said.

Since the country first began a specific tourism campaign in 1990-2000, the number of visitors to Laos has rapidly increased.

Foreign visitors to Laos topped 737,208 in 2002, and tourism became one of the nation's leading income earners.

The Lao National Tourism Administration is expecting more than a million visitors to Laos this coming year, generating around US$195 million for the tourism sector.

By vientiane times

__________________


Hydropolis, the world's first under water hotel. Entirely built in Germany and then assembled in Dubai, it is scheduled to be completed by 2009 after many delays.

The Burj Dubai. Construction began in 2005 and is expected to be complete by 2008. At an estimated height of over 800 meters, it will easily be world's tallest building when finished. It will be almost 40% taller than the the current tallest building, the Yaipei 101.


This is what downtown Dubai will look like around 2008-2009. More than 140 stories of the Burj
Dubai have already been completed. It is already the worlds tallest man made structure and it is still not scheduled to be completed for at least another year.

The Al Burj. This will be the centerpiece of the Dubai Waterfront. Once completed it
will take over the title of the tallest structure in the world from the Burj Dubai

Recently it was announced that the final height of this tower will be 1200 meters.
That would make it more than 30% taller than the Burj Dubai and three times as tall as
the Empire State Building

The Burj al Alam, or The World Tower. Upon completion it will rank as the world's highest
hotel. It is expected to be finished by 2009. At 480 meters it will only be 28 meters shorter
than theTaipei 101

The Trump International Hotel & Tower, which will be the centerpiece of one of the palm islands, The Palm Jumeirah.




Dubailand. Currently, the largest amusement park collection in the world is Walt Disney World

Resort in Orlando, which is also the largest single-site employer in the United states with

58,000 employees. Dubailand will be twice the size.




Dubailand will be built on 3 billion square feet (107 miles^2) at an estimated $20 billion price tag.

The site will include a purported 45 mega projects and 200 hundred other smaller projects.


]
Currently, the Walt Disney World Resort is the #1 tourist destination in the world. Once fully

completed, Dubailand will easily take over that title since it is expected to attract 200,000 visitors

daily

The Dubai Marina is an entirely man made development that will contain over 200 highrise

buildings when finished. It will be home to some of the tallest residential structures in the

world. The completed first phase of the project is shown. Most of the other high rise buildings

will be finished by 2009-2010.





Some of the tallest buildings in the world, such as Ocean Heights and The Princess Tower, which

will be the largest residential building in the world at over a 100 stories, will line the Dubai Marina.

The UAE Spaceport would be the first spaceport in the world if construction ever gets under way.

I'm not joking...

Some other crazy .. The Dubai Metro system, once completed, will become the largest fully

automated rail system in the world. The Dubai World Central International Airport will become

the largest airport in size when it is completed. It will also eventually become the busiest airport

in the world, based on passenger volume. There are more construction workers in Dubai than

actual citizens.

10 Hot Tips on What to Prepare for your next Travel!

Are you planning to go somewhere during this summer vacation? I am sure you would want to save on your travel expenses so you could shop for more on souvenir items and extend some more days perhaps. For sure you would want to have a perfect, hassle free and a safe vacation, right?

Summer is fast approaching and it is about time to plan for your next vacation. I am sure every one of us would like to save money from their travel expenses. You would want also to save time so you could see as many places as you can. This is very important if you are traveling on a very limited time and on a limited budget. You would not want also to have a bad experience of no Hotel room available, fully booked flight and you forgot to bring your digital camera with you, is it not? This is due to poor preparation.

Two other important aspects are: a safe travel and a healthy body. Perhaps you will agree with me that if you are feeling well, you can not enjoy your trip. It might even cut short your trip. Traveling in an unsafe condition is the worst thing that could happen to you on a long trip.

Well, here are 10 tips I would like to share with you with the hope that this might help you have a fruitful vacation.

These are my top ten hot lists on what to prepare for your next travel:
1. Plan your itinerary at least one month ahead. In this way, advance booking for your airline tickets and Hotel bookings will be cheaper.

2. Group bookings are another way of reducing your travel expenses. Not only that, it will save your time searching for the place. Looking for the location is time consuming and transportation cost will be more expensive compared to package tours.

3. Google search is very helpful. It can give you many ideas and information on the location where you can go.

4. Save your Discounted Coupons from your Groceries and magazines.

5. Subscribe to membership club where thousands of shop owners and companies are offering excellent club membership discounts.

6. Read from Ezine Articles about cheap and safe travel.

7. Subscribe to blogs. Get new ideas from the experiences of others.

8. Bring only those things that you will need. If you are traveling by car, total car weight load can save gasoline expenses especially for a long drive.

9. Make sure you bring along with you your first aid kits.

10. Do not forget your medications and important contact address and phone numbers in case of emergency.

As a summary, plan your trip in advance. In this way, you can save time and money. This will ensure you of airline bookings and hotel room availability. Searching through the internet about the place you want to go to gives you a better idea on how many days you are going to spend there and how much budget you will set aside for it. If you are driving on your travel observe traffic rules and safety all the time. Bring your ID and do not forget your membership discount cards, medical insurance cards and passports . Take care not to loose your valuables and eat moderately.
That is it. I hope for your full summer trip enjoyment and a safe return!