The Lao government has put forward a number of incentive policies for the tourist industry and increased its investment in the sector in an effort to raise the number of visitors to the country.

In 2009, the Lao government approved 16 projects for restaurants and hotels with a total investment of 44 million USD.

The number of businesses investing in restaurants and hotels has substantially increased, placing the tourism sector in the top five sectors to receive the largest amount of investment in Laos , totalling 235 million USD during the 2001-2009 period. At present, Laos has 357 hotels and over 1,120 resorts and restaurants.

In addition to investing in upgrading its infrastructure and making it easier for tourists to visit the country, the Lao government has also exempted visas for citizens from Japan, the Republic of Korea, Russia and almost all ASEAN countries. The country is also considering visa exemptions for tourists from European countries.

In the first six months of the 2009-2010 fiscal year, Laos welcomed nearly one million foreign visitors, up by 10 percent over the same period of the previous year./.