Champassak province has met with success in its efforts to attract more tourists through improved services, and visitor numbers this high season are expected to exceed 1 million.Deputy Director of the province’s Information, Culture tourist and Tourism Department, Ms Mala Chanthalam, told Vientiane Times the province has improved the standard of its hotels, restaurants and popular tourist sites.

The aim is to attract more tourists in the high season after numbers dropped during the floods at the end of August and the start of September.“We are also doing more to advertise tourist sites and activities that revolve around culture and the lifestyle of local people by making visitors more aware of the beautiful places and interesting activities to be enjoyed here. We hope to have more than 1 million tourists this year,” Ms Mala said.Popular attractions in Champassak include the Pakxong coffee garden, Khonphapheng waterfall, Vat Phou temple and Tad Yeuang waterfall.Tad Yeuang waterfall has plenty of facilities for visitors including gift shops and restaurants that serve Lao, Thai and French dishes.The restaurants can accommodate about 250 people and most of the dishes use organically farmed vegetables which the concessionaire buys from local farmers. Dishes range in price from 15,000 to 95,000 kip. Champassak’s other attractions include the dramatic Khonephapheng and Tad Fan waterfalls and activities such as trekking and zip-lining. Visitors can also rest and recuperate in the province’s verdant surroundings.

Throughout the year Champassak hosts a Lao food festival, One District, One Product (ODOP) fairs, exhibitions of Lao silk and cotton products, beauty pageants, sports contests, and the annual boat racing festival.Visitors can also enjoy organic produce from the Bolaven Plateau, including a cup or three of the famed volcanic-soil-grown coffee.