ASEAN Tourism Forum 2024 website goes live
Countdown begins for ATF 2024, which will take place in Vientiane, Laos with a sustainability theme.
Read more here.
Regional airlines are launching new flights with Laos, linking up the
landlocked destination with a growing roster of air connections.
Thai Airways International (THAI) is set to use
Airbus A320 aircraft on the Bangkok-Vientiane and Bangkok-Phnom Penh
routes, taking over from THAI Smile Airways starting from 15 August
2023. With twice-daily flights on both sectors, totalling 14 flights per
week, the Thai national carrier aims to bolster air travel between the
two destinations.
From 4 August 2023, AirAsia has also reinstated
direct flights between Vientiane and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and
continues to operate flights connecting Vientiane and Luang Prabang to
Bangkok, enhancing regional connectivity.
Vietnam Airlines, as of 1 July 2023, has resumed a
three-city route encompassing Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, and the UNESCO
World Heritage towns of Luang Prabang in Laos, as well as Siem Reap in
Cambodia.
Cambodia Angkor Air has since 1 May 2023 introduced
direct flights between Siem Reap, Cambodia, and Vientiane, utilising
Airbus A321 for the route which takes just over an hour.
Additionally, during the recent Philippines-Laos Joint Commission on
Bilateral Cooperation in Vientiane, the foreign ministers of Laos and
the Philippines explored the potential of launching direct flights
between the two countries, aiming to stimulate trade, investment, and
tourism in the region.
These air connectivity efforts are poised to boost Laos' tourism revitalisation, especially as the country prepares to host the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2024 in Vientiane and welcome Visit Laos Year 2024.