According to the Vientiane Times report: The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Laos held a consultation meeting between the public and private sectors on December 7. At the meeting, it formulated a plan to reopen the country to tourists who have been vaccinated in 2022, but the details of the entry quarantine are still in debate, highly likely tourists will only require to wait for 24 hours for negative COVID19 test to enter greens areas.
The Ministry of Laos is implementing the guidelines given in the notice issued by the Prime Minister’s Office on November 5th to encourage the authorities to prepare to welcome returning tourists. The Ministry of Health will provide precise and detailed information about the entry of tourists. Ms. Phengchanh Phengmeuang, Director of the Office of Planning and International Cooperation, said at the meeting that the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is cooperating with state-owned enterprises and private enterprises to make plans for the return of tourists in the near future, and will request the government to approve the submitted plans.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism plans to reopen the country to tourists who have been vaccinated according to the "Green Tourism Zone in Laos" plan, which designates Vientiane, Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang as "green areas" to ensure the safety of tourists and service personnel. Areas designated as green areas must have 70-80% of the population vaccinated, and 90-95% of service providers must also be vaccinated.
According to the Laos Tourism Green Zone Program, tourists can book travel packages as long as they have an entry certificate, a vaccination certificate at least 14 days before entry, a negative nucleic acid test report 72 hours or less before boarding, and use government approved app to tracks their possible exposure to Covid during their stay in Laos.
After reaching the destination, a nucleic acid test is required again. While waiting for the test result, the tourist will be taken to the hotel in a vehicle approved by the Lao government. The test result will be available within 24 hours. If the result is positive, the tourist will be quarantined for three days before being tested. If the quarantine period exceeds three days, the expenses incurred by the tourists will be refunded. Traveling in the Green Zone, tourists must book a hotel approved by Laos and present a vaccination certificate.
On November 29, 2021, the Lao government passed the actual implementation plan on opening up the "Tourism Green Zone" to ensure safe travel under the epidemic. The Deputy Prime Minister and the Director of the Epidemic Prevention Management Committee jointly decided:
1.1. Objective
To guide the ministries-agencies and stakeholders to prepare and coordinate to work together. to open green tourism areas for safe tourism during the covid19 outbreak and to contribute to the economic recovery affected by the covid19 outbreak, to generate tourism revenue for the people.
1.2. Launch covid19 disease-free tourism destination in Laos by January 2022
Adopt the actual implementation plan for opening up the "Tourism Green Zone" to ensure safe travel under the epidemic within 1st Jan 2022
1.3. The opening conditions of the Green Zone:
-Domestic and foreign tourists who can enter the green tourism area must be fully vaccinated for COVID19 more than 14 days before travelling dates.
- Foreign travelers must apply for the Green Tourist Zone access card and upload personal information on eVisa system.
- You must have a 72-hour nucleic acid test negative certificate before you travel, and you need to do a nucleic acid test again after entering Laos.
- Isolate at the designated hotel for 24 hours and wait for the nucleic acid test results.
- Download the epidemic prevention app and scan the QR code before entering the any premises.
- Before entering the green tourist area, show the vaccination certificate, no nucleic acid test is required.
1.4. Permitted passengers:
- Passengers from any country fully vaccined can enter Laos through Lao’s international airport, except for those from countries that have adopted a policy that does not allow them to return home.
1.5. Conditions for approving the entry of tourists:
- Required to register through the official website of the "Green Zone": www.laoevisa.gov.la/greenzone, register within 7-30 days before departure, upload vaccination, hotel reservations, full itinerary report, etc., and to register within 48 hours all required documents;
- Upload an ID card through the "Tourism Green Zone" and barcode to show the place of departure and the place of purchase after arriving in Laos;
- Nucleic acid test report within 72 hours;
- English vaccination certificate within 14 days before departure;
- Nucleic acid testing fee when preparing to arrive in Laos (65 USD);
- Required to purchase security insurance or a copy of the insurance that has been prepared;
- Tourists between 5-18 years old need to undergo nucleic acid testing, but vaccination is not mandatory. As for children under 5 years old, nucleic acid testing and vaccination are not required;
1.6. Airport inspection steps and measures:
- Perform nucleic acid testing at the airport (rapid testing does not require isolation);
- Present the permit to enter the Green Zone, the English version of the vaccination certificate and the negative nucleic acid test report;
- Purchase insurance at the airport or show a copy of the purchased insurance;
- Download and use the information tracking APP;
- Use "Laosafe" transportation to transport passengers to the hotel specified by "Laosafe";
- Waiting for the nucleic acid test report in the hotel, the result will be provided within 24 hours;
- If the result of the nucleic acid test report is negative, tourists can move freely in the "green zone";
- If the nucleic acid test report is positive, the asymptomatic passenger will continue to be quarantined at the hotel for 3 days (if allowed by the hotel), or sent to a quarantined hotel and tested again after 3 days at the passenger’s own expense. If the result is negative can proceed to do activities in the green zone;
- If the test result is positive again, showing symptoms and risks, they will be sent to the isolation point for isolation or hospital treatment (severe symptoms), and part of the tourists will be compensated (up to 25%);
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