Huge Laos infrastructure spend paying dividends
Play
Laos has witnessed steady growth in the transportation sector along with greater connectivity in the region following the government's enormous investment in the development of infrastructure.
The road networks in Laos extended to 43,600km in 2013, which is an expansion of more than 7 per cent compared to the previous year.
According to a report from the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, 6,496km of roads across the country are not paved.
The volume of goods transport is growing by between 5-8 per cent per year, while the volume of passenger transport grows between 8-10 per cent yearly.
In 2012 goods transported via water routes reached 923,000 tonnes, which is a growth rate of 11.6 per cent compared to 2011.
However, the transport of passengers on water routes dropped 11.7 percent to 1.9 million people in 2012.
In order to boost water transport, the ministry is working towards maintaining a water route along the Mekong River from the border area shared by Laos, China and Myanmar.
The 333km distance allows cargo ships as heavy as 150 tonnes to sail throughout the year.
Markers have been put along the route to help with the navigation of cargo ships.
Air transport in the country has gained remarkable progress and achievements over the recent years.
The air transport sector has generated steady and increasing revenue for the state budget.
It brought in revenue of US$42.43 million for the 2012-13 financial year, marking an increase of 56.39 percent compared with the 2007-08 fiscal year when only $27.13 million was earned.
The number of air transport passengers grew 15 percent in 2012 compared with 2011 while air transport of cargo and other goods grew only 8.78 per cent.
It was reported previously that national carrier Lao Airlines recorded significant increases in passenger numbers in recent years.
In 2010, Lao Airlines carried approximately 500,000 passengers but in 2012 the figure jumped to around 900,000.
