Luang Prabang One of Time Magazine’s, World’s Greatest Places to Visit in 2023

In March this year, the eagerly anticipated “World’s Greatest Places 2023” from Time Magazine was released with historical Luang Prabang in Laos being one of the 50 destinations on this coveted annual list. The city, which Time called “A hidden paradise”, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with much to offer including Buddhist temples, French colonial buildings and attractions like the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre; Time Magazine also mentioned aspects such as enchanting waterfalls, Mekong River boat trips at sunset and Free the Bears wildlife sanctuaries which travellers could enjoy on their visit.

It was pointed out that the city is easier to reach now as well following the development of the high-speed railway from China to Thailand; from the Laotian capital, Vientiane, it now takes just two hours to reach Luang Prabang. Hotels can also be found within this UNESCO World Heritage Site including properties like Avani+ Luang Prabang Hotel which provide travellers with a chance to enjoy unique cultural discoveries.

It should be noted that this destination is already seeing a rise in arrivals this year. As reported on the Vietnam+ (VietnamPlus) website on 27th April 2023, according to the Department of Information, Culture and Tourism of Luang Prabang, over 273,000 tourists arrived from January to March 2023; of these, foreign travellers accounted for 240,000 which helped push tourism earnings past 157 million USD in the year’s first quarter.