Luang Prabang in Laos (Source: visit-laos.com)

Laos launched a ceremony to initiate it National Tourism Year 2018 in the capital city Vientiane on October 28.

The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Bosengkham Vongdala, among others.

Minister Bosengkham Vongdala said the country’s tourism development policy has worked productively over the past years.

In 2000, the country greeted only 737,208 visitors and earned revenues of 113.9 million USD. In 2015, the figures were 4,684,429 visitors and 725.4 million USD.

It is estimated that the number of tourists to the country will hit over 6.2 million who bring in revenues of over 993.4 million USD by 2020.

The Lao Government has set to attract around 5 million tourists and reaped earnings of 900 million USD for 2018.

The National Tourism Year 2018 will focus on explorations of the country’s history, nature, and cultural value preservation and promotion.

The Vientiane event will be followed by a series of activities to be held at Laos’s embassies in Europe, Asia and other countries around the world alongside traditional festivals in localities across Laos.

Tourism is regarded as the economic spearhead sector, which has received a lot of priorities from the Government.

The Lao Government viewed that tourism development will enable it to expand cooperation with other countries.