Visit Laos-China Year to begin tomorrow

Laos and China will launch a major campaign this week to boost tourism cooperation between the two countries throughout 2019.

Officials from the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other agencies met in Vientiane this week to discuss the details of the ceremony to initiate Visit Laos-China Year 2019.

Tourism officials said a number of activities would be held at the National Culture Hall on January 25 to mark the launch of the year-long tourism promotion.

Key activities will include cultural performances and an exhibition of Lao and Chinese tourism products. There will also be films that depict the special attractions of Laos and China.

According to the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, senior government officials from Laos and China will give speeches to officially launch Visit Laos-China Year 2019.

The government has high expectations for the success of the campaign and is hoping for a surge in Chinese visitors. In 2018, more than 805,800 Chinese visited Laos, a 26 percent increase compared to 2017.

This year the government projects that more than 1 million Chinese will visit Laos and is hoping to attract about 4.5 million visitors in total.

Tourism officials said a number of activities have been planned specifically for Chinese tourists. These include a China culture week celebrating 58 years of Laos-China diplomatic relations.

There will also be a mid-autumn festival and Chinese cultural performances in Luang Prabang and Vientiane, while tourism authorities will hold a meeting on Laos-China tourism management in Champassak province.

Hotel and restaurant owners and travel agents have been asked to design products and offer services that match the requirements of Chinese tourists.

Some tourist attractions such as Buddha Park in Vientiane will have information brochures written in Chinese. Meanwhile, Bokeo province is holding its annual Kapok Flower Festival (Dok Ngiew Festival) which began yesterday and is being advertised as a tourist attraction. Provinces including Luang Prabang will build more facilities, provide more services, and improve standards at hotels, guesthouses and restaurants.

Chinese will be added to informative signs at popular tourist sites and tourism pamphlets will be written in Chinese as an aid to visitors. Restaurants will give their menus a Chinese twist.

Souvenirs will come with explanations about their significance, and will be attractively packaged, according to the Luang Prabang provincial Information, Culture and Tourism Department.

More than 4.1 million visitors came to Laos in 2018, a 8.2 percent increase compared to 2017. More than 800,000 tourists came from China, an increase of 26 percent, according to the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism.

Editor: John Li