Vientiane to host Mekong mayors’ tourism summit
Vientiane will host the Lower Mekong Tourism Cities’ Mayors Summit from October 12-15 to promote tourism and cultural cooperation between cities in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
The director of Vientiane’s Department of Information, Culture and Tourism, Vilayvone Chanthalaty, addressed a press conference last week about the meeting.
The mayors or vice mayors of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, Phnom Penh in Cambodia, Yangon in Myanmar, Bangkok in Thailand, and Vientiane, will lead delegations at the summit.
Vilayvone said improvement of tourism products and services and enhancing the cities’ appeal in order to attract more visitors from the region and from around the world would be the main focus of the summit.
The event coincides with the end of Buddhist Lent and the Vientiane Boat Racing Festival so that meeting participants can observe these longstanding traditions and celebrations.
More than 2.7 million Lao and foreign tourists visited Vientiane last year, with historical and cultural sites and events being the main draw.