The World Heritage Site of Luang Prabang has retained its position atop Wanderlust Travel Magazine’s annual list of best tourist destinations.
The announcement was made as part of the Wanderlust Travel Awards 2011 earlier this month.
Luang Prabang claimed first place with a score of 96.89 percent, followed by Hoi An in Vietnam with 96 percent and Kyoto in Japan with 95.63 percent.
Deputy Head of the Luang Prabang provincial Tourism Department Mr Khamtan Somphanvilay said the department was informed quite late about the award and had to send an official from the Lao embassy in France to receive it in the UK.
“We have already discussed with the provincial authority about holding a ceremony in March to recognise the hard work of everyone in achieving this great honour,” he said.
The British magazine is a widely recognised authority on travel and news of the award has already been reported by media outlets throughout the world.
In most categories of the awards, readers of the magazine were asked to list up to four entries and score each one on its merits. The final positions were based on an average score for the entry converted to a percentage, meaning results were based on merit rather than the number of votes received.
Mr Khamtan said Luang Prabang came out on top mainly thanks to its combination of nature, architecture, culture, lifestyle and the friendliness of local people.
“There are many special destinations in the world, but Luang Prabang’s charming array of services and accommodation attracts all kinds of visitors in both the low and high income brackets.”
Luang Prabang won the title from 2006 to 2008 before falling to seventh place in 2009. After reclaiming top spot last year, Mr Khamtan said locals were motivated to work hard to retain it.
“The award makes people more aware and motivated to join in the protection of the town’s world heritage status well into the future. This means being more active in maintaining Luang Prabang’s beauty and cleanliness.”
Luang Prabang was granted world heritage status by UNESCO in 1995. The town is the former capital of the ancient kingdom of Lane Xang, or the Land of a Million Elephants.
The town is a cultural centre in the region, with its numerous temples paying testimony to a wealth of culture and civilisation.
The province celebrated the 15th anniversary of the town’s world heritage listing last year.
Source: Vientiane Times
By Phonesavanh Sangsomboun
Febuary 08, 2011
Hello We are OddThemes, Our name came from the fact that we are UNIQUE. We specialize in designing premium looking fully customizable highly responsive blogger templates. We at OddThemes do carry a philosophy that: Nothing Is Impossible
0 comments