Laos lures Korean golfers
A surge in South Korean tourist arrivals in Laos is being attributed to the lure of new golf courses in Luang Prabang, the ancient capital, and in capital city Vientiane.
Korean investors have built and now manage several golf courses in the land-locked communist country.
Golf course fees in Laos are a fraction of what they are in South Korea, where the game is a national passion.
Lao Association of Travel Agents president Khamtan Kheungpanya also attributed the surge to the launch of direct flights last year between Vientiane and Seoul, the Vientiane Times reports.
Official figures show the number of Korean tourists visiting Laos from January to September 2012 was almost 40,000, representing a 50% increase compared to the same period the previous year.
An estimated three million tourists overall visited Laos last year, up 14% year-on-year.
Ian Jarrett
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