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Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1. Background of the Study

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Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1. Background of the Study Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1. Background of the study Luangprabang used to be the ancient capital city of the Lane Xang Kingdom (the Kingdom of a Million Elephants), and established since 1,200 years ago. Sirisack (2014), In the 14th century, the King Chao Fa Ngum founded the first Lao Kingdom of Lane Xang, Luang Prabang remained the capital of Lane Xang until 1565 when the capital was moved to Vientiane by King Setthathirath (although Luangprabang remained the country's main religious centre). And it used to be the center of cultural, architectural, historical and political activities. According to Tourism Department in Luangprabang (2014), stated that Luangprabang as the tourism sightseeing and located in the northern central part of Lao People’s Democratic Republic, surrounded by numerous mountains and green forests. Luangprabang situated in the centre of northern Laos, the province shares border with Oudomxay, Phongsaly and Houaphanh to the north, Vientiane and Sayabouly to the south and southwest and Xiengkhouang to the east. It consists of 12 districts such as Luang Prabang, Xieng Ngeun, Nan, Pak Ou, Nambak, Ngoi, Pakxeng, Phonxay, Chomphet, Viengkham, Phounkhone and Phonthong with Luangprabang occupies of 16, 8755 square kilometers, the estimated population 447,541 people. By UNESCO Websites (2015), Luangprabang is an outstanding example of the fusion of traditional architecture and Lao urban structures with those built by the European colonial authorities in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its unique, remarkably well-preserved townscape illustrates a key stage in the blending of these two distinct culture traditions. TDD, (2012).Visitors to Luang Prabang is charmed by the friendly atmosphere of this small town. They interests because of the town itself offers several unique insights into the history of the region, through excellently preserved Buddhist temples, museum, night market and a variety of Lao, Tai-Lue, Burmese,and Chinese. The political and religious centre of Luang Prabang is the peninsula, with its royal and noble residences and religious foundations. Souphaxay (2553), the traditional urban fabric of the old villages, each with its temple, was preserved by later constructions. The colonial urban morphology, including the network of streets, overlapped harmoniously with the previous model. The richness of Luang Prabang architecture reflects the mix of styles and materials. The majority of the buildings are, following tradition, wooden structures. Only the temples are in stone, the monasteries generally consist of: the cult buildings (shrine, chapel, library, stupa, 1 stone post), ancillary buildings and buildings for inhabitants or visitors (monastic communal buildings, cells, refectory, etc). Sontikul, (2010).The many pagodas or "Vat" in Luang Prabang, which are among the most sophisticated Buddhist temples in Southeast Asia, are richly decorated (sculptures, engravings, paintings, gilding and furniture pieces). Wat Xieng Thong, which dates from the 16th century, comprises an ensemble of the most complex structures of all the pagodas of the town. It is remarkable both from the archaeological point of view, and from the Laos iconographic and aesthetic viewpoint. The sacred Mount Phousi stands at the heart of the historic town built on a peninsula delimited by the Mekong and the Nam Khan, domain of the mythical naga. Ceremonies to appease the nagas and other evil spirits, and Buddhist religious practices (Prabang procession, the monks’ morning quest) perpetuate the sanctity of the place. Natural spaces located in the heart of the city and along the riverbanks, and wetlands (UNESCO Websites, 2015). Luangprabang town is a very famous country for its cultural diversity and well known because of its attractions. Different places of the country are full of cultural and historical heritage places, which are the major attractions and the assets of the nation. In 1995 UNESCO was declared Luang Prabang as World Heritage Site. This distinction confirms, through the concerted action of local, national and international authorities, a real motivation to preserve this wonderfully serene city. The title is justified not only by the many beautiful temples in Luang Prabang, but also by its traditional wooden dwelling, the old colonial style houses and the natural environment that encases it in a perfect harmony of plant and stone (website of www.tourismlaos.org, 2015). As a result, Luang Prabang was officially proclaimed and indexed as a UNESCO World Heritage Property in the year of 1995 (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizations [UNESCO], 2004). With such international recognition, it brings more and more tourists and promotes the tourism industry of the country. Luang Prabang has been promoted as a tourist destination for two decades by the government of Laos. UNESCO also classified this town as a World Heritage site in 1995. The city’s popularity further increased when it was named by Wanderlust Magazine as the Top City for tourism in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014 respectively, And in the year of 2014 Luangprabang was voted by Wanderlust again in the place of popular destination to visit, Ranking voted; 97.14 per cent of readers nominated Luang Prabang as their favorite destination while 95 per cent also voted for Bagan and 94.74 per cent voted for Stockholm (Website Wanderlust Magazine, 2015). 2 With the fact that Luang Prabang is very reputable in terms of historical and unique cultural preservation and nature’s beauty, tourism industry in Luang Prabang is forecasted to drawn more and more sightseers and trippers worldwide arrival for the forthcoming year, Consequently, it needs more concentrations and intents on developing and producing the extent of qualified tourism sectors, especially in the terms of opening the investors to invest the tourism businesses in Luangprabang district. World Tourism: Realizing tourism industry as important, in 1975, the World Tourism Organization (UN-WTO) has been established to replace the international tourism federation established earlier in 1925. At that time, there were only 109 member’s countries. Until 2015, there have list of the 156 Member States of the UNWTO countries, and 6 Associate Member, and 2 Observers (website of unwto.org/members, 2015). International tourist arrivals reported by destinations around the world reached 1,138 million in 2014, a 4.7% increase over the previous year, according to the data in this issue of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. Overall demand was robust with 51 million more tourists travelling the world (UNWTO, 2015). According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, tourism directly contributed to ASEAN’s GDP (4.4%) and employment (3.2%) in 2011. In addition, the sector accounted for an estimated 8% of total capital investment in the region (http://asean.asean.org/tourism, 2015). ASEAN Tourism: First established in 1981, ATF has been a key driving force in developing tourism in the ASEAN region. For over three decades, government and private sector associations have come together annually at ATF to discuss, review and strategies ways to continuously promote ASEAN as the world's top travel destination, (website of atf.com, 2015 ).Tourism has been one of the key growth sectors in ASEAN and has proven resilient amid economic challenges globally. The wide array of tourist attractions across the region has drawn 81 million tourists to ASEAN in 2011, up by 30% compared to 62 million tourists in 2007. Data from the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) shows that on the first few months of 2012, ASEAN was the fastest growing destination-region in the world, followed by South Asia. Lao Tourism: Lao PDR has become the member of World Tourism Organization (WTO) by accession in 1975 (unwto.org, 2015).The Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) opened its doors of tourism to the international tourists in October 1989 and, since then, the tourism industry has developed rapidly to become one of the country’s largest earners of foreign currency and economic into the nation ( Phosikham, 2010). Tourism is one of the industrial sectors that rapidly grow widely in many countries around the world. At present, many countries have paid special attention to the development and 3 promotion of tourism, as it is a key sector for socio-economic development and Tourism supports related tourism investment such as travel, hotel, restaurant, transport, and souvenir businesses (Lao PDR Tourism Strategy, 2006-2020). The strategy in promotion of Laos’s tourism sectors in 2012 1), Laos will develop a high quality tourism industry and become a preferred destination in ASEAN and on global travel markets, 2) Investment about 14.5 million US$ per year from 2011-2015 in priority programmes,3) 95% of the investment in Tourist Site Development, Human Resources and Marketing. And expectation increasing of tourist in the year of 2015, indictor Increasing arrivals and reach 2.87 million visitors - Increase total /revenue by visitor: 438 million $/153 $ (LNTA, 2014). The Government of Lao PDR has placed tourism as 1 of 11 priority sectors to contribute to country’s socio -economic development; - Tourism is now a major contributor to national income (7% - 9% of GDP) and employment; - Focus on the development of sustainable tourism based on culture, natural and historical resources. To implement an open - door policy concerning cooperation with foreign nations in economic and cultural maters.(LNTA, 2014). Sirisack, (2014).Laos may still be in a
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