Laos’ new high-speed railway expected to boost tourism, trade
Expectations are high about the positive impact of the new Chinese-built high-speed railway line that crosses landlocked Laos from north to south. Meanwhile, all stations along the line have been inaugurated, including the main station in the capital Vientiane and another in the UNESCO world heritage city of Luang Prabang, and the overall opening ceremony for the railway has been set at December 2.
With the opening, Laos would enter a new era of railway transport and the population and visitors alike would benefit from a vastly improved method of travel, officials said. The passenger train has a top operating speed of 160 km/h, provides eight carriages, including a a dining car, one first-class and six second-class coaches, and has 720 seats altogether.
The journey time from Vientiane to the Chinese border will be shortened from two days by road to three hours by train, and the onward journey to Kunming in China can be just made overnight, which means a substantially improved connectivity between China and Laos.
Hope for new opportunities
In particular, provinces and popular destinations along the line are upbeat about the positive impact the new railway will have both on domestic business and tourism, namely Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng, as well as the northern provinces of Oudomxay and Luang Namtha, which are hoping for new opportunities for trade and tourism.
Authorities in the provinces have said they will resume tourism developments agreed on in recent years which had to be put on hold because of the Covid-19 pandemic. In Oudomxay alone, there are plans for 11 tourism development projects, including homestays, restaurants and village tourism, while Luang Namtha is seeking to attract visitors through cultural and ethnical tourism programmes.
Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang, besides Vientiane the main tourism hot spots in Laos, will increase their hotel and homestay capacity in expectations of tourism returning to normal as the country gradually reopens for international visitors as the Covid-19 crisis subsides.
[caption id="attachment_37779" align="alignleft" width="300"] The Luang Prabang station was among the latest to open on the new high-speed railway line across Laos[/caption] Expectations are high about the positive impact of the new Chinese-built high-speed railway line that crosses landlocked Laos from north to south. Meanwhile, all stations along the line have been inaugurated, including the main station in the capital Vientiane and another in the UNESCO world heritage city of Luang Prabang, and the overall opening ceremony for the railway has been set at December 2. With the opening, Laos would enter a new era of railway transport and the...
Expectations are high about the positive impact of the new Chinese-built high-speed railway line that crosses landlocked Laos from north to south. Meanwhile, all stations along the line have been inaugurated, including the main station in the capital Vientiane and another in the UNESCO world heritage city of Luang Prabang, and the overall opening ceremony for the railway has been set at December 2.
With the opening, Laos would enter a new era of railway transport and the population and visitors alike would benefit from a vastly improved method of travel, officials said. The passenger train has a top operating speed of 160 km/h, provides eight carriages, including a a dining car, one first-class and six second-class coaches, and has 720 seats altogether.
The journey time from Vientiane to the Chinese border will be shortened from two days by road to three hours by train, and the onward journey to Kunming in China can be just made overnight, which means a substantially improved connectivity between China and Laos.
Hope for new opportunities
In particular, provinces and popular destinations along the line are upbeat about the positive impact the new railway will have both on domestic business and tourism, namely Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng, as well as the northern provinces of Oudomxay and Luang Namtha, which are hoping for new opportunities for trade and tourism.
Authorities in the provinces have said they will resume tourism developments agreed on in recent years which had to be put on hold because of the Covid-19 pandemic. In Oudomxay alone, there are plans for 11 tourism development projects, including homestays, restaurants and village tourism, while Luang Namtha is seeking to attract visitors through cultural and ethnical tourism programmes.
Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang, besides Vientiane the main tourism hot spots in Laos, will increase their hotel and homestay capacity in expectations of tourism returning to normal as the country gradually reopens for international visitors as the Covid-19 crisis subsides.
