China-Laos Railway boosts travel, promotes tourism in Laos

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

The China-Laos Railway has significantly bolstered passenger transportation, greatly facilitated travel, and helped promote tourism in Laos since its launch in December 2021.

The China-Laos railway has shortened the traveling time between cities along the route, enabling people along the line to seek education, visit families, or receive medical attention a lot faster.

Kingkeo Duangphanam, a 32-year-old mother from Luang Prabang province, told a Chinese news agency that travelling to and from her hometown with her newborn baby has become far more convenient since the railway started operation.

The China-Laos railway has helped revive tourism in Laos as the demand from passengers travelling between Vientiane and the ancient capital of Luang Prabang is growing.

Maikeo Sengaly told a news agency that he was travelling to Luang Prabang for a family vacation and this was his first time taking the train.

Maikeo said that the first time he heard about the China-Laos railway, he felt grateful and hoped that all Lao people could have the chance to experience traveling by train.

The China-Laos Railway is a docking project between the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Laos’ strategy to convert itself from a landlocked country to a land-linked hub.

The electrified passenger and cargo railway that went fully operational on Dec 3, 2021, is built with the full application of Chinese management and technical standards.

The latest report issued by the Tourism Development Department under the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism at the end of August showed the outlook for the country’s tourism industry is positive.

The full operation of the China-Laos Railway, and the appeal of the scenic Vangvieng, the Luang Prabang World Heritage Site, and the low value of the kip (Lao currency), are among the main attractions for visitors from neighboring countries, said the report.

Deputy Head of Luang Prabang province’s Information, Culture and Tourism Department, Chansamone Thipphavanh, told local media recently that in the first 10 months of 2022, 335,794 tourists, comprising 85.27 percent of the total, arrived in Luang Prabang by train.

She added that train travel allows easier connection with neighboring countries.

According to the Laos-China Railway Co Ltd (LCRC), a joint venture based in Vientiane and responsible for the operation of the railway’s Lao section, so far, the Lao section of the China-Laos Railway has shipped a total of around 2 million tons of goods, most of which are cross-border goods, and has carried 1.26 million passengers.

The LCRC operation director, Du Zhigang, told the news agency recently that the amount of freight transportation has been showing an upward trend since its opening.

According to Du, the goods shipped from the Lao side include rubber, barley rice, cassava, coffee, beer, ores and potash, among others, while daily necessities, mechanical parts, auto parts and electronic products are shipped from China.

The train tickets are quite popular because their passengers are eager to experience their EMUs (electric multiple units), especially those from neighboring countries, like Thailand, said Du.

Thanyart Areeyat, a tour guide from Thailand, is no stranger to the railway and the bullet trains.

Curiosity about the train makes many Thai people decide to travel to the north of Laos and it will be a special experience for them to take a bullet train in Laos, said the tour guide.

Most of them take photos and videos along the way. But some of them can take a nap easily because the train rides are smooth and seats are comfy, said Thanyart, adding that she hopes to take a train trip from Laos to China in the near future.

Thai tourists will also be really interested in taking a bullet train directly to China, she said.

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• Over 1.1 million tourists visit Laos in four months