Guillaume Linton, boss of Asia Voyages, had the good idea to organize a presentation of Laos on Monday March 13 in cooperation with the embassy in Paris. His Excellency, the Ambassador of the People’s Democratic Republic of Laos, (Mr. Kham-Inh Khitchadeth) was present. We must mention two important people from the embassy who contributed to this beautiful evening: Asoka RasphoneMinister Counselor and Morakot Vongxayfirst secretary
A first for 30 years
This is a first, as the Embassy had previously only been open to French tourism professionals. Guillaume Linton and his team provided the material for the reception and made the presentation. The embassy, for its part, delighted the taste buds of the guests with specialties of the country prepared by a Laotian restaurateur.
A superb presentation by Production Director Virginie Gerbault
Asia’s production manager goes there every year to check accommodations, tours and what’s new. His presentation of the country was perfect. She knew how to transcribe with precision and especially with the heart, the reasons to go to Laos with Asia Voyages.
We were given a short presentation of the country…
This republic of Southeast Asia has no access to the sea, which has surely slowed down the mass tourism enjoyed by its neighbors. It is therefore a nature destination, made of different shades of green, from the emerald tones of the tea plantations to the lime green rice fields. The northern regions are characterized by forested mountains and mist-shrouded rocks. To the south is the landlocked archipelago of the “Four Thousand Islands” on the vast waters of the Mekong.
The country attracts nature lovers
Hike through remote forests to encounter a unique species of monkey: the native white-handed gibbon. Go trekking, rafting and mountain biking or visit Nam Ha National Protected Area, home to elephants, tigers and leopards.
But in Laos, there is more than its fauna and flora. The country also has a rich and multi-faceted culture, such as its main cities, which bear witness to French-style architecture dating from the colonial period to the 19th century, and the ancient Buddhist temples overrun by the jungle.
A destination ecotourism
Since its opening to tourists in 1989, Laos has made a point of positioning itself as an ecotourism destination. After all, the country has a low population density and a rich and extensive network of ecosystems, from ancient forest to limestone caves. This comes with quite a few challenges: deforestation in Laos has been a major environmental concern since the 1950s. At the time, forest covered about 70% of the land area of the country; in the 1990s, it had fallen to 47%.
The current government has realized the importance of forest conservation and has established a nationwide network. He also imposed a logging ban and started planting more trees. Although illegal logging is still widespread, in 2015 government efforts resulted in a return to 50% of the tree area, a figure that is expected to increase further.
A nice hotel park
Asia Voyages offers for example the Riverside Boutique Resort Vang Vieng or the Belmond La Résidence Phou Vao. Hotel offers are systematically checked each year.
https://www.asia.fr/destination-laos/tous-nos-voyages
A wonderful country and a very endearing people, Laos is one of the most beautiful destinations in South East Asia to discover without delay.
