Luang Prabang joins Chiang Mai among environment friendly cities
Play
The World Heritage City of Luang Prabang has joined Thailand's Chiang Mai in being recognised as an Environmentally Sustainable City (ESC) under an initiative to compare the environmental merits of respective cities throughout the Asean region.
Luang Prabang’s award was announced during the Asean Environment Ministers Meeting in Vientiane.
The initiative was established as a way of recognising the excellent moves made to help keep Asean cities clean, green, and livable.
Asean committees also presented the ESC award to Chiang Mai in Thailand, Yangon in Myanmar, Singapore, Palembang in Indonesia, Melaka in Malaysia, and Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei Darussalam.
Head of the Luang Prabang Tourism Promotion Department, Vongdavone Vongxayyalath, said the award was high praise for the province’s efforts to develop a green environment where the air was fresh and easy to breathe.
Vongdavone believed the award would help attract more tourists to Luang Prabang. Visitor numbers have increased every year after it was voted as the world’s best tourism destination by British travel magazine Wanderlust for three consecutive years from 2006-2008.
In 2009 Luang Prabang fell to one of the top 10 in the same category before again topping the list from 2010 to 2012.
The number of overseas visitors to Luang Prabang reached 343,000 people in 2013 and the province has set an ambitious goal for tourist arrivals to hit the 500,000 mark this year.
However, Luang Prabang still has more work to do to ensure a sustainable environment and maintain the award next year, Vongdavone said.
To this end, the province will prohibit residents from cutting down mature trees or shrubs and will encourage them to plant more saplings.
The department is also cooperating with local communities to encourage them to dispose of their garbage properly and help keep the town clean and beautiful.
The department will be cooperating with primary and secondary schools as well as universities to encourage students to learn how much garbage can affect the environment and campaigning for them to lead the recycling effort.
The Asean Initiative on Environmentally Sustainable Cities (AIESC), which was endorsed by the Asean Environment Ministers in 2005, serves to assist Asean cities, especially smaller and rapidly-growing cities, to pursue environmental sustainability.
The programme covers 25 participating Asean cities. As participating cities of AIESC, regional activities are focused on initiatives in these municipalities, such as to pilot test the revised ESC key indicators for clean air, clean land and clean water.
