Ministry makes plans for Visit Laos-China Year 2019

Lao and Chinese authorities are considering whether to officially launch Visit Laos-China Year 2019 at the end of this month or during Chinese New Year in early February.

Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Prof. Dr Bosengkham Vongdara, has signed a plan for the Visit Laos-China Year 2019 programme.
The plan was submitted to Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith for consideration, Director General of the ministry’s Tourism Marketing Department, Mr Soun Manivong, said.

It is proposed that the opening ceremony take place at the National Culture Hall in central Vientiane. It will feature cultural shows by Lao and Chinese troupes along with Lao and Chinese food fairs, and a photo exhibition.
High-level officials from both countries will be invited as guests of honour to the opening event, according to the plan.

“The plan could be revised in line with recommendations made by the prime minister,” Mr Soun said.

The plan was drawn up in line with a consensus among Lao and Chinese authorities when they met in Hong Kong last month. Prof. Dr Bosengkham led Lao delegates in talks with the Chinese side while attending an international tourism forum.

The Chinese side suggested that a Chinese Culture Week be organised in Vientiane in April, which would also mark the 58th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries. The proposed event would also feature cultural performances by Chinese artists.

Chinese Culture Week is expected to take place just prior to a planned state visit to China by President Bounnhang Vorachit.

To make the president’s visit more meaningful, the Chinese authorities will ask the Chinese government to facilitate travel by Lao performers to accompany President Bounnhang, so they can stage a show in China.

Both sides plan to hold a meeting to discuss tourism management in June-July in Champassak province.

Looking further ahead, a Moon Cake festival has been suggested in September in the World Heritage Site of Luang Prabang and in Vientiane, which would feature performances by artists from China’s Hupei province.

According to the submitted plan, the two sides will also arrange Lao Culture Week in Changsha – the capital of China’s Hunan province. The event will feature stage shows by Lao artists, a Lao food fair, a tourism exhibition and a seminar to promote Lao and Chinese tourism. A similar Lao Culture Week will also be organised in Chengdu – the capital of China’s Sichuan province.

However, the dates for these culture weeks have not yet been decided.
In his submitted plan, Prof. Dr Bosengkham also suggested that the Lao government consider waiving the need for a visa or reducing the visa fee for Chinese visitors in 2019 and to make it easier for Chinese tourists to pass through immigration when entering and leaving Laos.

He also asked the government to consider ending inappropriate inspections and charges along roads and at tourist sites. The minister also called for the cancellation of a regulation that requires tour operators to obtain a permission certificate before bringing in tour groups. Laos has welcomed more and more Chinese visitors in recent years. More than 568,800 Chinese tourists vacationed in Laos in the first nine months of 2018, an increase of 35 percent compared to the same period in 2017.

Editor: John Li