VIENTIANE, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism is expediting its preparations to welcome a higher influx of foreign visitors during Laos' chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next year and as part of Visit Laos Year 2024.

The Department of Information, Culture and Tourism of the Lao capital Vientiane is monitoring the improvement of hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions as part of preparations to host important meetings during the Southeast Asian country's ASEAN chairmanship in 2024, director of the department Vilayvone Chanthalaty told a press conference in Vientiane on Friday.

She said Vientiane has allowed tourism operators to open 288 hotels with over 10,000 rooms to accommodate official guests and tourists visiting Laos. The capital city currently also has over 270 guesthouses with over 6,000 rooms for visitors.

Vientiane has nine five-star hotels at the moment and there are plans to open three more by the end of 2023, she added. Four-star and three-star hotels have also been inspected and certified by relevant ministries for the coming year.

Moreover, Vientiane's tourism department has been working with other departments to inspect and ensure that hotels have enough water and electricity, and measures are also in place to keep the city clean.

Vilayvone mentioned that the department is also focusing on renovating major tourist attractions in Vientiane.

"We are dedicated to offering the highest quality services to all visitors so that they can appreciate the country's distinctive culture and attractions, and have a lasting positive impression about Laos," she said.