VIENTIANE - Laos received 2,590,511 foreign tourists in the first six months of 2026, up 9.87% from a year earlier.
The Tourism Development Department under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism released the January-June tourism statistics on July 21. The total compared with 2,357,722 foreign visitors during the same six months of 2025, according to Lao Youth Radio, which identified the department as the source of the data.
Thailand remained Laos’ largest source market with 833,738 arrivals, accounting for 32.18% of the first-half total. China followed with 675,365 visitors, or 26.07%, and Vietnam with 586,190, or 22.63%. Together, the three neighbouring countries supplied 2,095,293 tourists, equal to 80.9% of all foreign arrivals.
South Korea ranked fourth with 69,051 visitors, followed by the United States with 53,446. The department’s figures showed that arrivals exceeded their year-earlier levels in each month from January through June. March recorded the highest monthly total, with 470,975 foreign visitors.
The increase follows further growth in 2025. The Tourism Development Department’s full-year tourism figures showed that Laos received 4,580,709 international visitors last year, 11% more than in 2024. Thailand led with 1,484,319 visitors, followed by China with 1,157,278 and Vietnam with 1,129,109.
A government tourism report presented to the National Assembly on July 6 had recorded more than 2.1 million international visitors during the first five months of 2026, an 8% year-on-year increase.
That represented 47% of the government’s annual target of 4.46 million foreign arrivals, while tourism revenue exceeded US$960 million during the five-month period.
Tourism has also contributed to growth in the services sector. A first-half economic report said Laos’ economy expanded 5% during the first six months of 2026. Services grew 5.3% and accounted for 37.2% of gross domestic product, with hotels, restaurants, tourism-related services and transport among the activities recording strong performance.
The government’s five-month report showed that growth was uneven across destinations. Visitor arrivals declined in several areas, particularly Luang Prabang Province, compared with the same period of 2025.
Authorities attributed the decline mainly to higher travel costs associated with global fuel prices and tensions in the Middle East.
