On the evening of May 9th, in Vientiane, the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism held a ceremony to receive the title of "World's Best Tourist Destination 2013" awarded by the European Commission on Tourism and Trade.

Speaking at the ceremony, Anton Caragea, President of the European Commission for Tourism and Trade, praised Laos' efforts and achievements in tourism development, noting that hundreds of outstanding and unique historical and architectural works have contributed many valuable heritage sites to humanity.



Minister Bosengkham Vongdala (left) receives the award.
(Photo: Hoang Chuong/Vietnam+)

Lao Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Bosengkham Vongdala stated that, along with numerous innovative policies, the Lao government has developed and encouraged cultural, ecological, and historical tourism.

In 2012, Laos welcomed over 3.3 million international tourists, generating more than US$513 million in revenue. Currently, Laos has nearly 1,500 officially recognized tourist destinations, including nearly 850 ecotourism sites, 435 cultural tourism sites, and over 200 historical tourism sites.

According to (Vietnam+) - LC