ZCZC
BCN-35
LAOS-ECONOMY-TOURISM
Tourism among top five income earners for Laos: report
VIENTIANE, May 30, 2018 (BSS/Xinhua) – Tourism has directly resulted in
114,000 jobs being created in Laos, becoming one of the top five income
earners for the country, officials and reports said.
Local daily Vientiane Times on Wednesday quoted the World Travel and
Tourism Council’s latest report as saying that 114,000 people are being
employed in tourism in Laos and the figure is expected to rise to 121,000 in
2028, which will represent about 3 percent of total employment.
As a whole, tourism and related services have generated over 385,000 jobs
in the country, helping to improve per-capita income for the people,
particularly the poor, according to the report.
Lao Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Ounthuang
Khaophanh, said recently that tourism was one of the top five income earners
for Laos, driving economic growth and contributing to poverty alleviation.
In addition, tourism has resulted in the improvement of services and
infrastructure, including roads, as well as the construction of new hotels,
restaurants, airports and other facilities, said the Lao daily.
In 2017, the total contribution from travel and tourism to Laos’ Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) was around two billion U.S. dollars, which accounted
for 13.7 percent of total GDP. This figure is expected to rise to 3.3 billion
U.S. dollars by 2028, said the report.
Given that tourism plays a significant role for the Lao economy, the
government launched the Visit Laos Year 2018 campaign to attract more
tourists.
BSS/XINHUA/HR/1420