Laos eyes influx of Chinese tourists

Tourists visit Patuxay Park in the downtown of Lao capital Vientiane on February 7. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

Vientiane (VNA) – Laos is gearing up for an influx of Chinese tourists this year, Lao media reported on May 29.

Speaking at a meeting on preparations for the arrival of Chinese tourists over the weekend, Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of Laos, Ounthuang Khaophan said that Chinese travelers are a big source of revenue, so many countries have promotion plans to attract Chinese tourists and Laos is no exception. Currently, the Lao government is also working to improve tourism products and modernise the tourism industry to suit the Chinese market.

The China-Laos railway is a crucial factor in facilitating the traveling between the two countries while in the near future, new flights are planned between Vientiane and several cities in China, making it easier, he said.

Director General of the Tourism Development Department, Phonemaly Inthaphome, said Laos has strived to improve facilities and services and streamline entry and exit procedures to attract Chinese tourists.

It also participates in tourism exhibitions in China and organises Laos-China tourism promotion seminars, she added.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, some 1,022,727 Chinese tourists came to Laos in 2019, accounting for 21% of the total number of foreign tourists. The figure dropped to 45,249 in 2022.

Laos welcomed over 831,000 foreign tourists in the first quarter of this year, according to the country's Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism. Thailand took the lead in the number of visitors with 344,405, followed by Vietnam and China with nearly 180,000 and over 143,000, respectively./.