Tourism in Laos

File:LPB Guest Houses (1490224551).jpg in Luang Prabang.]]

Tourism in Laos has become an important part of the economy of Laos. In 2024, tourist numbers topped 5 million, contributing over US$1 billion to the economy.{{Cite web |last=Sitthixay |first=Phonethida |date=2024-11-19 |title=Laos Welcomes Over Five Million Tourists in 2024, Generating Over USD 1 Billion |url=https://laotiantimes.com/2024/11/19/laos-welcomes-over-five-million-tourists-in-2024-generating-over-usd-1-billion/ |access-date=2025-01-30 |website=Laotian Times |language=en-US}} Tourism is governed by a ministry-level government agency, the Lao National Tourism Administration (LNTA).

Tourism is the third largest source of foreign income for the Laos government, behind only mining and electricity generation. In 2019, 4.79 million international tourists visited Laos, spending US$931 million, representing 9.1% of the Lao economy, and created employment for 300,000 people.{{Cite book |url=https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/migration/la/028b88b8aeb5addd065938cb5e1ed15ea8d874cc3d9d0b6fa4b0263cdd11ebe5.pdf |title=Lao PDR's tourism COVID-19 recovery roadmap 2021-2025 |publisher=Lao PDR Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism |format=PDF |access-date=2025-01-31}}

The top four sources of international tourists in 2019 were Thailand (45%), China (21.3%), Vietnam (19.3%) and South Korea (4.2%).

The Laos-China Railway has facilitated the entry of more tourists, particularly from China, into Laos, as well as making transport easier between Vientiane, Vang Vieng, and Luang Prabang. The railway opened in 2021, and cross-border service between Laos and China began in 2023. Compared to its neighbour Thailand, Laos is a comparatively more difficult country to enter by air, especially via long-haul air routes. In 2024, there were over 46 million airline seats to Thailand, but less than 1.8 million going to Laos. These services typically enter from China or Thailand, meaning visitors rarely travel only to Laos, but combine their trip with visits to neighbouring countries as well, due to the need to transit through them to reach Laos.{{Cite news |last=Chung |first=Christine |date=2025-01-01 |title=Is This the Year Laos Breaks Through? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/01/travel/laos-vientiane-luang-prabang-train.html |access-date=2025-01-31 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}

Statistics

=Annual statistics=

class="wikitable sortable" ! Year	Tourist Arrivals	Change	Source
2020 \|886,447 \|{{decrease}} 81.5%{{ref\|a}} \|{{Cite web\|title=Statistical Report on Tourism in Laos\|url=https://eccil.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Statistical-Report-on-Tourism-2020.pdf\|access-date=3 February 2022\|website=European Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Lao PDR}}
2019 \|4,791,065 \|{{increase}}14.4% \|
2018	4,186,432	{{increase}} 8.2%	{{cite web\|title=2018 Statistical Report on Tourism in Laos \|url=https://wearelao.com/sites/default/files/2018%20Statistical%20Report%20on%20Tourism%20in%20Laos.pdf\|access-date=17 August 2020\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200817115741/https://wearelao.com/sites/default/files/2018%20Statistical%20Report%20on%20Tourism%20in%20Laos.pdf\|archive-date=17 August 2020\|url-status=live}}
2017	3,868,838	{{decrease}} 8.7%	{{cite web\|title=Laos Tourism decline\|url=https://laotiantimes.com/2018/03/07/laos-tourism-numbers-decline-2017/ \|access-date=16 April 2018}}
2016	4,239,047	{{decrease}} 9.5%	{{cite web\|title=2016 Statistical Report on Tourism in Laos\|url=https://www.mekongtourism.org/wp-content/uploads/Lao-2016-Statistic-Report.pdf\|url-status=dead\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616133847/http://www.mekongtourism.org/wp-content/uploads/Lao-2016-Statistic-Report.pdf\|archive-date=16 June 2017\|access-date=17 August 2020}}
2015	4,684,429	{{increase}} 12.6%	\|{{cite web\|title=2015 Statistical Report on Tourism in Laos\|url=https://www.mekongtourism.org/wp-content/uploads/Laos-2015-Statistics-Report-on-Tourism-in-English-Version.pdf \|website=Mekong Tourism\|page=5 \|access-date=17 August 2020 \|url-status=live \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022141121/http://www.mekongtourism.org/wp-content/uploads/Laos-2015-Statistics-Report-on-Tourism-in-English-Version.pdf \|archive-date=22 October 2016 }}
2014	4,158,719	{{increase}} 10.0%	{{cite web\|title=Lao has a record 2014\|url=http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2015/02/lao-has-a-record-2014/\|access-date=17 January 2017}}
2013	3,779,490	{{increase}} 13.5%	rowspan="24" \| "2014 Statistical Report on Tourism in Laos" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
2012	3,330,072	{{increase}} 22.3%
2011	2,723,564	{{increase}} 8.4%
2010	2,513,028	{{increase}} 25.1%
2009	2,008,363	{{increase}} 15.6%
2008	1,736,787	{{increase}} 6.9%
2007	1,623,943	{{increase}} 33.6%
2006	1,215,106	{{increase}} 10.9%
2005	1,095,315	{{increase}} 22.4%
2004	894,806	{{increase}} 40.6%
2003	636,361	{{decrease}} 13.5%{{ref\|b}}
2002	735,662	{{increase}} 9.2%
2001	673,823	{{decrease}} 8.6%{{ref\|c}}
2000	737,208	{{increase}} 20.8%
1999	614,278	{{increase}} 22.8%
1998	500,200	{{increase}} 8.0%
1997	463,200	{{increase}} 14.9%
1996	403,000	{{increase}}16.3%
1995	346,460	{{increase}} 137.0%
1994	146,155	{{increase}} 42.0%
1993	102,946	{{increase}} 17.6%
1992	87,571	{{increase}} 132.8%
1991	37,613	{{increase}} 161.2%
1990	14,400 \|

Notes:

:1.{{note|a}}COVID-19 pandemic.

:2.{{note|b}}SARS epidemic

:3.{{note|c}}September 11 attacks

=International visitor arrivals=

class="wikitable sortable" !Rank	Country !2020 !2019 !2018 !2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012	2011	2010	2009 !2008
1	{{flagcountry\|Thailand}}* \|350,103 \|2,160,300 \|1,929,934 \|1,797,803 \|2,009,605	2,321,352	2,043,761	2,059,434	1,937,612	1,579,941	1,517,064	1,274,064 \|891,448
2	{{flagcountry\|Vietnam}}* \|186,180 \|924,875 \|867,585 \|891,643 \|998,400	1,187,954	1,108,332	910,164	705,596	561,586	431,011	296,763 \|351,384
3	{{flagcountry\|China}} \|138,466 \|1,022,727 \|705,833 \|639,185 \|545,493	511,436	422,440	245,033	199,857	150,791	161,854	128,226 \|105,852
4	{{flagcountry\|South Korea}} \|40,210 \|203,191 \|174,405 \|170,571 \| 173,260	165,328	96,085	81,799	53,829	34,707	27,312	17,876 \|18,065
5	{{flagcountry\|USA}} \|18,116 \|61,184 \|49,178 \|38,765 \|58,094	63,058	61,460	61,608	53,380	50,092	49,782	39,339 \|54,717
6	{{flagcountry\|France}} \|15,509 \|44,416 \|39,315 \|36,760 \|54,953	55,151	52,146	52,411	46,903	44,399	44,844	31,775 \|39,077
7	{{flagcountry\|Japan}} \|11,085 \|41,736 \|38,985 \|32,064 \|49,191	43,826	44,877	48,644	42,026	37,883	34,076	28,081 \|31,569
8	{{flagcountry\|UK}} \|11,592 \|31,976 \|26,801 \|27,723 \| 39,170	41,508	39,061	41,741	35,964	35,622	37,272	27,044 \|36,038
9	{{flagcountry\|Germany}} \|8,632 \|25,346 \|22,915 \|23,776	34,018	31,897	29,800	29,250	23,417	21,280	22,583	17,710 \|25,191
10	{{flagcountry\|Australia}} \|7,271 \|24,750 \|19,607 \|20,886	33,077	34,665	44,964	35,441	33,878	31,874	30,538	24,209 \|28,180
11	{{flagcountry\|Malaysia}}* \|5,800 \|28,321 \|26,002 \|19,114	24,391	24,095	24,312	26,035	22,785	17,702	15,427	13,816 \|15,625
12	{{flagcountry\|Canada}} \|4,638 \|12,873 \|10,759 \|13,467	19,315	19,785	19,096	17,132	16,744	14,422	13,637	10,955 \|14,695
13	{{flagcountry\|Philippines}}* \|3,679 \|17,187 \|10,826 \|10,168	16,750	16,709	15,179	16,318	14,281	11,847	10,341	8,331 \|12,647
14	{{flagcountry\|Cambodia}}* \|5,012 \|28,342 \|18,908 \|15,108	16,536	20,625	15,342	12,180	15,140	7,561	6,908 \|7,530 \|5,482
15	{{flagcountry\|Taiwan}} \|1,714 \|6,956 \|4,823 \|4,329	14,005	6,131	5,478	4,771	3,996	5,029	3,346 \|2,519 \|2,665
16	{{flagcountry\|Russia}} \|3,144 \|12,054 \|8,963 \|10,986	13,033	12,532	13,340	11,649	8,642	7,019	4,835 \|2,861 \|3,206
17	{{flagcountry\|Switzerland}} \|2,921 \|8,512 \|9,749 \|7,956	10,603	9,777	9,064	10,586	10,096	9,710	8,622 \|5,827 \|6,526
18	{{flagcountry\|Italy}} \|2,751 \|7,330 \|6,198 \|7,537	10,052	8,990	9,710	8,822	6,289	6,977	7,075 \|5,481 \|6,467
19	{{flagcountry\|Singapore}}* \|2,008 \|11,730 \|7,692 \|6,829	8,512	8,258	9,621	9,685	10,545	7,130	6,087 \|5,286 \|4,866
20	{{flagcountry\|India}} \|1,743 \|8,152 \|4,864 \|4,343 \|8,249	5,492	4,547	4,551	3,275	3,227	3,321 \|2,280 \|2,652
21	{{flagcountry\|Netherlands}} \|2,287 \|8,877 \|7,804 \|5,500 \|7,004	8,429	8,683	10,899	9,283	9,164	10,032 \|8,504 \|11,315
22	{{flagcountry\|Sweden}} \|1,419 \|3,475 \|4,802 \|3,483 \|5,795	5,465	5,804	5,194	6,676	5,926	6,261 \|4,150 \|6,827
23	{{flagcountry\|Belgium}} \|1,970 \|6,099 \|5,322 \|4,371	5,682	5,289	5,343	6,046	6,284	5,241	5,012 \|3,868 \|4,908
24	{{flagcountry\|Spain}} \|1,476 \|6,157 \|5,309 \|4,589 \|5,461	4,856	5,219	5,127	4,208	4,652	4,195 \|2,962 \|3,117
25	{{flagcountry\|Austria}} \|1,250 \|3,320 \|3,237 \|2,874 \|5,324	3,910	3,835	3,339	2,860	3,801	2,565 \|2,450 \|2,843
26	{{flagcountry\|Indonesia}}* \|1,217 \|5,161 \|3,487 \|3,241 \|5,010	6,019	4,812	4,888	4,256	3,338	2,245 \|3,158 \|2,043
27	{{flagcountry\|New Zealand}} \|1,226 \|3,965 \|3,460 \|3,202 \|4,787	4,798	5,200	5,451	5,418	4,885	4,393 \|3,479 \|4,364
28	{{flagcountry\|Denmark}} \|1,591 \|3,134 \|3,892 \|3,198 \|4,479	4,491	5,065	4,586	5,054	4,769	5,359 \|2,977 \|3,657
29	{{flagcountry\|Norway}} \|874 \|2,248 \|2,913 \|2,334 \|4,018	3,499	3,606	3,531	3,307	3,178	2,845 \|2,221 \|2,909
30	{{flagcountry\|Myanmar}}* \|1,417 \|22,524 \|22,132 \|2,848 \|3,695	2,661	2,157	1,947	1,730	1,765	1,652 \|1,794 \|1,698
31	{{flagcountry\|Israel}} \|1,664 \|4,041 \|2,997 \|2,128	3,593	4,163	4,068	3,364	3,241	4,232	3,700 \|2,236 \|4,090
32	{{flagcountry\|Finland}} \|780 \|1,719 \|2,287 \|2,023 \|3,218	3,013	3,751	2,735	2,962	2,742	2,470 \|1,985 \|2,729
33	{{flagcountry\|Greece}} \|246 \|586 \|520 \|481	593	878	498	433	366	451	578	537 \|569
34	{{flagcountry\|Brunei}}* \|103 \|389 \|278 \|342 \|484	865	564	582	533	354	197	267 \|338

^∗ASEAN nation

References

External links

[http://www.laos.culturalprofiles.net Laos Cultural Profile (Ministry of Information and Culture/Visiting Arts)]{{failed verification|date=April 2020}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20050424131157/http://www.tourismlaos.gov.la/ The official Laos Tourism Authority site]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20180329074225/http://unbelievablelaos.com/ Laos virtual tour]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20130506033803/http://spotonlaos.com/place/laos-travel-video/ Laos Tourism Video]