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Lao and Korean investors are considering spending US$2 billion to develop a 3000 hectare site near the World Heritage listed town of Luang Prabang .

If it proceeds the project, known as Diamond City , will be located in Chomphet district of Luang Prabang province and will include tourism, financial and recreational services.

The prospective investors are four Lao companies, represented by Nakornluang New Century Company, and 10 Korean companies, represented by KPL Development Company.

They signed a memorandum of understanding in Luang Prabang this week to outline their own cooperation, and will now prepare documents seeking government approval to be presented to the Planning and Investment Ministry next week.

Nakornluang New Century Company Managing Director, Mr Thongphanh Rattanasamay, said pending government approval, the site would be developed to include a five-star hotel, apartments, resorts, banking services, a trade centre, agricultural facilities and other businesses.

To complete the project the investors will establish utilities such as electricity, water and telecommunications, in addition to building a public park and a road from Chomphet district to Hongsa district in Xayabouly province.

They will also build a bridge across the Mekong River from Luang Prabang town to Xiengman village in Chompet district.

Mr Thongphanh said the proposed site was state-owned land which was outside the World Heritage listed area and was not occupied by many houses.

The investors will seek a land concession period of 50 years with the option of extending this period by an additional 20 years before ownership is transferred to the Lao government.

Mr Thongphanh said if the project went ahead it would create a new city in Luang Prabang.

“The Lao companies will be responsible for coordinating activities and documents in Laos , while the Korean companies will provide funding to the project,” he said.

“It is very big project and a huge investment, which the investors hope to recoup through income generated by the facilities to be built, such as hotels, bridge fees and other services.”

Luang Prabang Planning and Investment Department Director, Mr Bounnhang Phongphichit, said the project was still in the very early stages.

“We will have more discussions with those companies before any progress can be made,” he said.

The Korean companies expressed an interest in investing in Laos after reading a Lao government website which listed Chomphet district as a district the government wanted to develop.

By Panyasith Thammavongsa
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From Samakomlao, Thanks...

The government will crackdown on violations of UNESCO rules to ensure Luang Prabang does not lose its status as a world heritage listed city.

Past violations related to construction of new buildings had put the city's status at risk, Standing Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad told the National Assembly on Friday.

The only solution was to strictly enforce UNESCO rules from now on, he said.

“If we don't solve the problem, Luang Prabang will be out of the list of world heritage sites,” Mr Somsavat said.

Last year UNESCO requested the government report on how Luang Prabang has changed since being listed as a world heritage site in 1995. UNESCO officials also inspected the city and asked the government to respond on 15 points.

One of these relates to road construction approved by the Department of Public Works and Transport without agreement from UNESCO, when UNESCO should have made the final decision, he said.

Mr Somsavat said some people knowingly constructed new buildings which breached UNESCO rules, while others sold their houses to entrepreneurs and moved away.

One troubling sign of this development was a reducing number people giving alms to monks in the morning, he said. Not only does this indicate a move away from tradition, the decline could also negatively impact tourism, because this tradition is one of Luang Prabang's major drawcards.

“World heritage is still new for us and our biggest challenge is making local people understand the need to preserve cultural heritage and how this impacts on development,” Mr Somsavat said.

“Some people ask why we should preserve heritage if it means we cannot develop. But I don't think heritage preservation delays our development. On the contrary it encourages development.”

UNESCO officials have asked the government to make an updated map of the city and encourage cooperation between UNESCO and the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.

The Standing Deputy PM said coordination must be improved between relevant sectors, and local people needed to be educated about the importance of Luang Prabang's world heritage status.

Luang Prabang's popularity as a tourist destination has increased since the city was listed as a world heritage site in 1995.

Mr Somsavat said the influx of visitors helped local people generate more income and improve their living standards.

“Now we have two world heritage listed sites: Luang Prabang and Vat Phou Champassak in Champassak province. But we won't propose any more sites to UNESCO until we improve the existing ones,” he said.

“We will assess what we have done and try to address challenges. We have many sites to be proposed to UNESCO, but we want to study them carefully first.”

By Somsack Pongkhao
Vientianetimes
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Via Samakomlao Webboard, Thanks...

Nourished by the Same River is a major documentary series produced by China Central Television in cooperation with the national television stations of the countries in the Lancang-Mekong River Region, namely; Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. This 20-part series took three years to complete.-----Read in Lao-----
The underlying theme of Nourished by the Same River is “peace, friendship, cooperation and development”. In pursuit of this, it investigates the lives of the people of the six countries, exploring their living environment, natural surroundings, economy, culture, religion and society. The documentary focuses on the lives of some 40 diverse people, ranging from a 78-year-old elephant trainer in Thailand, to a female mine clearance expert in Vietnam; from villagers living in the primitive rainforests of Laos, fishermen on Lake Tonle Sap in Cambodia and in China’s Guangxi Province, and a child who miraculously survived the tsunami in Thailand, to the workers of the famous ruby mines of Myanmar and a traditional artisan in China’s Yunnan province. The series also features the spectacular ancient civilizations, rich natural resources and unique cultures of the Lancang-Mekong River Region, as well as the achievements in economic and cultural cooperation made by the countries there.

Nourished by the Same River comprises 20 parts, each focusing on a unique topic. The series was shot in over 200 locations, from the ruby mines, Shwedagon Pagoda, Mandalay and Bagan in Myanmar, to the renowned Angkor Wat and Lake Tonle Sap in Cambodia; from the tropical rainforests and the Khon Phapheng Falls in Laos, to Kao Yai National Park and Elephant Village in Thailand; from Cuu Long River Plain and the ancient city of Hue in Vietnam, to great sites of cultural and aesthetic interest in Yunnan and Guangxi in China’s southwest.

This major documentary series is a vehicle for promoting the Lancang-Mekong River Region to the rest of the world. It serves to enhance mutual understanding among people living in the region, and demonstrates the friendship among the six countries. It also stands as a symbol of the success of their exchange in the fields of television and the arts.

text from: http://www.cctv.com/english/special/sameriver/20080326/104019.shtml

The government plans to set up a municipality as the main urban centre in Luang Prabang province to replace Luang Prabang district, in a bid to stimulate the development process, a senior official said yesterday.

According to the Deputy Head of the provincial administrative office, Mr Houmphanh Thammoungkhoun, preparations to establish the zone as a pilot project began in 2006. The new designation is expected to be officially announced next month, once the government has given its approval.

The provincial authority has allocated 68 villages in the town centre out of a total of 116 villages in the district for the new zone, while the rest will be incorporated into neighbouring districts.

Once the municipality comes into effect, Luang Prabang district will cease to exist, as will the position of district governor.

“The change is designed to facilitate fast development in all sectors in the municipality, including socio-economic and infrastructure development, and to foster a tourism hub,” said Mr Houmphanh.

Many organisations have been involved in the planning process to ensure it is in line with UNESCO's world heritage criteria. These bodies include the World Heritage Office, District Development and Administration Office, Public Works and Transport Department and the Governance Improvement Project, which have all collaborated in creating a development strategy.

“We must make sure that the development process is aligned to world heritage criteria,” Mr Houmphanh said. He explained that the new zone is divided into various sections, with specific areas dedicated to commerce and culture.

The administrative structure has also been improved, as several offices have been merged to streamline services and the provision of various permits. The Lao Women's Union , Lao Trade Union, Lao Youth Union and the Veterans' Office have been merged in one mass media organisation office.

This merger will not only streamline administrative services, but will help to reduce the administration budget, said Mr Houmphanh.

The pilot project is expected to be self-sufficient in terms of the budget needed for the development of the new zone. This means the authority should be able to use the money generated by various activities within the area for investment in development without requesting further budget allocation from the central and provincial levels.

“To begin with, it will be necessary to request funding from the provincial budget to develop the new zone, but once the economic situation is healthy we hope to be self-sufficient,” he said.

Mr Houmphanh said the establishment of the new zone would not affect any existing investments.

He explained that the authorities concerned have benefited from their experience in conducting such a project with Vietnam , where a similar venture was functioning well.

By Souksakhone Vaenkeo
Vientianetimes
Via Samakomlao, Thanks...

Written by: LuangPrabang2Day.com — local travel publisher in Luang Prabang, Laos.

Click the photo to see more photos and to read in Lao

Luang Prabang celebrates top travel award 2008
Tuesday, March 04, 2008

The World Heritage town of Luang Prabang last Sunday celebrated its award by the UK 's leading travel magazine, Wanderlust, of the ‘Top City Gold Award', for the third successive year.

The celebrations began with food offerings to monks, followed by processions carrying national flags and banners, and an elephant parade.

The parade began at the provincial administration office and slowly travelled along Sisavangvong Road to Vat Xieng Thong, with local and foreign visitors joining in the celebrations.

Speaking before the parade, Governor of Luang Prabang province Bounheuang Douangphachan said the people of Luang Prabang were very proud to receive the international accolade.

“The award is not easy to win and we were competing with many well-known cities around the world,” he said.

Luang Prabang authorities have treated tourism as a priority in achieving socio-economic development and the industry has grown rapidly. The province has developed tourism services for cultural, natural and historical attractions to bring economic benefits to local people, he said.

The town was voted into the magazine's top 10 cities, from a list of 615, before the decision was made to give it the gold award. A poll of the magazine's readers who had visited the city found a satisfaction rating of more than 97 percent.

Luang Prabang won the award because it is an outstanding example of the fusion of traditional architecture and Lao urban structures with those built by Europeans in the 19th and 20th centuries. The 1,200-year-old historic town is considered to be the cultural and religious capital of Laos .

“The most important aspect of the town is the charm and hospitality of its people, a characteristic that has been handed down over the centuries. Now it has been revealed to the world,” Mr Bounheuang said.

He said people of all ethnicities should be proud of their artistic culture and architecture, and urged them to preserve and develop the town in a sustainable way.

In 1995 UNESCO added the town to its list of World Heritage Sites. It became the first such site in Laos , ensuring the preservation of its mixture of traditional Lao and French architecture. Since then its unique character has helped make it one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country.

Also attending the celebrations were Minister to the Prime Minister's Office and President of the Lao National Tourism Administration Somphong Mongkhonvilay, Deputy Governor Dr Khampheng Saysompheng, and the Deputy Minister of Information and Culture Bouangeun Saphouvong.

By MK. Vongsam-ang
Vientianetimes
Via tourlaos.blogspot.com/

thanks...

The World Heritage town of Luang Prabang has won a ‘Top City Gold Award' from England’s leading travel magazine, Wanderlust. The magazine placed Luang Prabang, an ancient city in the north of Laos and a UNESCO World Heritage site, in the top spot on its list of travel destinations announced at the annual Wanderlust Travel Awards 2008, held at Earl's Court in London, UK, on January 31. “We didn't expect to win the award because the judges hadn't told us the good news beforehand,” said the Deputy Governor of Luang Prabang province, Dr Khampheng Saysompheng. He flew to London with his delegation to receive the award. Luang Prabang was voted into the magazine's top ten, out of 615 cities, before the decision was made to give it the gold award. More conventional holiday spots such as Venice, San Francisco and Sydney also featured in the top ten. A poll of the magazine's readers found a satisfaction rating of more than 97 percent among those who had visited Luang Prabang. This is the third time the town has received a gold award from the magazine, also winning the top spot in 2006 and 2007. Dr Khampheng, who returned home with the award, said on Tuesday it represented the pride of the Lao people, especially those who lived in Luang Prabang. He thanked the magazine's executive board and its readers who had voted Luang Prabang into top place. “This award will encourage us to work harder to preserve and develop the town in a sustainable way,” Dr Khampheng said. The 1,200-year-old historic town is considered to be among the most beautiful in South East Asia and is renowned as the cultural and religious capital of Laos . “Luang Prabang won the award because it is an outstanding example of the fusion of traditional architecture and Lao urban structures with those built by Europeans in the 19th and 20th centuries,” he said “But the most important aspect of the town is the charm of the Lao people,” Dr Khampheng said. In 1995 UNESCO inscribed the town onto its World Heritage List. It became the first world heritage site in Laos , ensuring the preservation of its mixture of traditional Lao and French architecture. Since then, its unique character and charm have helped make it one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country, for both Lao and foreign visitors. Recently the world's most famous newspaper, the New York Times, named Laos as number one of the world's top 53 tourist destinations to visit in 200 8. By MK. Vongsam-ang www.vientianetimes.org.la

(KPL) The first world heritage town of the Lao PDR, Luang Prabang, has been voted the most popular town of the world.

The votes were released in England’s Wanderlust Magazine.

According to Luang Prabang Tourist Office, the world heritage town of Luang Prabang has been selected among 615 tourist towns world-wide. The town has won the honour for three consecutive years since 2006 followed by Spain and Italy.

Amid the rising number of tourist arrivals, Lao people are proud of the ranking for the country’s jewel - Luang Prabang.

Mr Khamtanh Somphanvilay, Deputy Head of Luang Prabang Tourism Office, said he believed that the selection would augment this year’s number of tourist arrivals at least to 300,000, which will bring about US$ 100 million.

He added that Laos could not vote for itself and won such an honour for Luang Prabang. But it was the result of a unanimous voting by a number of tourists and tourism companies around the world through England’s Wanderlust Magazine.

Last year, the ancient town in northern Laos was closely kept an eye on by the competent UN agency for local activities of urban development, which could cause damage to efforts of preservation of the value of the ancient culture and unique architecture of Luang Prabang. In this respect, we have cooperated with local authorities and central levels to monitor and inspect activities occurring in the town, but we believed that all things must proceed within the scope enforced regulations and laws, explained Mr Khamtanh.

Luang Prabang was proclaimed by UNESCO as the first world heritage town in Laos in 1995. Since then, this dormant ancient town has been waken up by an influx of tourists from all corners of the world.

In parallel with the invasion of tourists the town also sees floods of external investment. All these could put the heritage town at risk of damaging its ancestor’s traditional way of life and value, and ancient architectural heritage if no measure is taken to control development activities to a proper extent.
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The text from www.kpl.net, Thanks...

Monday, January 21, 2008
As the world gets wise to warming and brave new travelers embrace low impact lifestyles, green travel has become one of the fastest growing segments of the tourism industry.

Despite its rap as a collection of chic spas for wealthy, guilt-addled liberals who shell out $4,000 to commune with gorillas, green travel isn’t about giving a tour operator a month’s salary for some Disney-like attraction or consumer experience.

Traveling green is about finding and supporting destinations that have seen the light, and are already working to green-up their tourist offerings.

Seeking out green places to travel isn’t all that hard. Even New York City offers the possibility of an ecologically responsible vacation. Many travelers can get to New York by train, removing the need for a high-impact airplane ride. A tiny hotel room in SoHo uses less electricity than a deluxe suite in Aspen.

Plus, New York is a city built for walking, with solid public transport to boot. Time Out recently named New York the perfect place to “be green without doing crap.”

Here are 5 more eco-friendly destinations to put on your travel radar:

Luang Prabang, Laos

The Lao People’s Democratic Republic has made it their mission to bring this Southeast Asian country (which is landlocked by Myanmar, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand) to the forefront of tourism. It’s working - Laos was #1 on the New York Times’ list of places to go in 2008.

However, the Lao government is aiming to increase tourism sustainably so as to protect their native wildlife, lush land and clean rivers, and preserve their two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Ancient City of Luang Prabang and pre-Angkorian Vat Phou Temple Complex. Another Heritage Site-to-be is the Plain of Jars in the highlands of north-central Laos.

The Lao National Tourism Administration has a dozen award-winning eco-tourism projects currently in development, spreading country wide to encourage smaller provinces to set up sustainable tourism, help protect over-exposed areas, and begin programs such as homestays, eco-treks, and local art exhibitions.

What’s Lao for “rocking it?”

Mjølfjell, Norway

Norway is so eco-conscious it balks when a marketer calls a Prius or Tesla green.

While other European countries have aimed to cut their carbon emissions by 20% by 2020, Norway has upped the ante to 30%. Norway is also helping China come up with ways to combat climate change.

Get out of Oslo and head into the mountains and you’ll see a lot of sustainable housing, including the Mjolfjell Inn and Youth Hostel .

A destination in and of itself, the inn offers the standard outdoor fare (skiing, horseback riding, even a wildlife survival course) and also produces its own electricity.

Not bad for the world’s #5 oil exporter.

Belize City, Belize

Home to the longest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere, Belize is deeply committed to eco-tourism. Offshore, Belize boasts a number of cayes, some of which have been turned into eco-resorts, but others that remain pristine homes for birds, lizards and marine life.

Whale watching is a popular attraction here, as is mountain biking, horseback riding, and cave tubing. Go outside of the sandy city into the Mountain Pine Ridge Area and Maya Mountains, which have amazingly-preserved Mayan ruins. You’ll also find plenty of local artists and artisans to support in town.

While the Caribbean and Latin America are full of eco-tours and spas, you can also appreciate their beauty and natural preservation by traveling independently. Be sure to check out the preservations in Tobago (Trinidad’s less commercialized sister), the diverse terrain of Guadeloupe, and the stunning rainforests of Costa Rica.

Zurich, Switzerland

Voted the city with the highest quality of life in the world, Zurich was also recently ranked by Forbes as number 8 on their list of Top 10 Cleanest Cities.

Voted the city with the highest quality of life in the world, Zurich was also recently ranked by Forbes as number 8 on their list of Top 10 Cleanest Cities.

The city’s public transportation works like clockwork (no pun intended) to the point where very few residents own cars. There is also a large local foods industry, including cheeses that will make your deli’s Swiss cheese taste like plastic.

The world’s first four chocolate makers were also all Swiss, so you can take comfort in knowing you’re supporting local growers with those truffles and hot chocolates.

I single out Zurich here, but the rest of Switzerland is great for those who want to reduce their carbon footprint while still traveling Europe. Not only do you get the Alps and clean living, you can explore areas heavily influenced by the Germans, French, and Italians.

Thenmala, India

Surprised?

Even though India has some of the most polluted cities in the world, there are some areas that are working to green their environment. While other regions try to slap an “eco-tourism” label on what is really just nature tourism (“Over there is a rare flower,” “Look up there at the tree,” “Check out the elephant,” and back on the bus), Thenmala is taking green travel to heart.

The local Thenmala government, tourism office, and irrigation department are teaming up with residents to to make green tourism a coordinated effort. The best part? You’ll not only get to visit the Shenduruney Wildlife Sanctuary (part rainforest, part deciduous forest), but the tour guides are local youths who are trained in sustainable tourism. Now that’s something to feel good about.

Of course, there’s more than just this Fab Five. In fact, you can find plenty of eco-friendly destinations (from the transportation to lodgings to the cocktail hour) on every continent.

Source: http://travelreviewonline.com/2008/01/21/5-green-travel-destinations-for-2008/

Vai www.tourlaos.blogspot.com/

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