Magical town preserved by UNESCO 'loses soul', locals

It is officially described as the best-preserved city in Southeast Asia, a bygone seat of kings tucked into a remote river valley of Laos. Luang Prabang weaves a never-never land spell on many a visitor with its tapestry of French colonial villas and Buddhist temples draped in a languid atmosphere.

But most of the locals don't live here anymore. They began an exodus from this seeming Shangri-La after their hometown was listed a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, and sold itself wholesale to tourism.

It's not an uncommon pattern at some of the 1,031 sites worldwide designated as places of "outstanding universal value" by the UN cultural agency: The international branding sparks mass tourism, residents move out as prices escalate or grab at new business opportunities, hastening the loss of their hometown's authentic character to hyper-commercialization. But locals may also prosper and some moribund communities are injected with renewed energy.