Summit held to boost Lancang-Mekong Cooperation

Other Mekong-Lancang countries are more likely to receive increased visitors from China if the region offers up delicious local food for them to enjoy, according to a Chinese media executive. 

Member of the Editorial Board from China Daily, Mr Zhou Li, made the observation during a panel discussion on tourism development as a part of the 2018 Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Media Workshop Summit in Vientiane on Tuesday.

“There are many Chinese tourists travelling to the region, with about 15 million visiting in 2017,” he said.

During the event, representatives from China, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia discussed and shared their ideas on boosting tourism development and attracting more visitors to the region.

This year, Lao hosted the 2018 Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Media Workshop Summit in Vientiane from July 2-3.

During his speech, Director General of Lao Press in Foreign Languages, Mr Thonglor Duangsavanh noted that by 2020 Laos is expecting to welcome 6.2 million international visitors.

Adding, that the nation hopes to receive about 5 million visitors this year to go with 3.6 million last year and more than 4.6 million in 2015.

At present, Laos has 23 immigration checkpoints, of which 22 can issue visas on arrival. In addition, the citizens of some 18 countries are exempt from visa requirements.

Laos also has three international airports and six domestic airports along with eight carriers making flight connections to 18 cities in seven countries.

There are 2,014 officially designated tourist sites nationwide, Mr Thonglor highlighted.

Luang Prabang province was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995. Vat Phou Champasak received the same recognition in 2016, and in 2017 UNESCO declared the music of the Lao khaen to be an intangible cultural heritage.

Among the most popular tourist sites in Laos are That Luang stupa, Patuxai monument, Vat Sisakhet, Horphakeo, Vat Xiengthong, the Khonephapheng waterfall, Vangvieng, and the caves in Huaphan province that housed the revolutionary leaders during the war.

“This year is Visit Laos Year 2018 and in order to attract more tourists we have created travel advertisements in local and overseas media in many languages and media agencies have relayed a lot of colourful stories,” he said.

Executive Editor, Manager News Group from Thailand, Mr Sopon Onkgara, pointed out that the media can be a great help when talking about tourism.

“Today’s new media is from social media and this is making the traditional media fight hard with this new media, but the old media carries more weight than the new if it reports clearly and accurately,” he said.

The six countries that border the Mekong-Lancang River over its nearly 5,000-kilometre length form not only a natural link connecting the six countries but also a cradle for the many people living along the iconic waterway.

Editor: John Li