SEE YOU IN LAOS

By Wang Xiang

Locals cross a bridge spanning Nam Song River by motorbike in Vang Vieng, Laos.

Have you ever seen the spectacle of dozens of elephants marching together in a parade? Maybe you should visit Laos.

On February 17, the Elephant Festival of Visit Laos Year 2018 was launched in Sayaboury, Laos.Sixty-nine elephants attended the festival, which offered elephant shows, parades, an elephant beauty contest, elephant bathing and opportunities to ride elephants.

Yanyong Sipaseuth, deputy governor of Sayaboury and chairman of the organizing committee, told the audience,which included Laotian President Bounyang Vorachit, that Laos was once called Lao Lanexang,which means “l(fā)and of a million of elephants.”

“This annual Elephant Festival is one of the most celebrated events in Laos,” declared Sipaseuth. “It aims to promote the conservation and promotion of fine traditions that represent the lifestyles of the multi-ethnic people who have built strong bonds with elephants and to promote Lao tourism.”

Highlights of Visit Laos Year 2018

As a tourist destination, Laos features magnificent golden temples, barefoot monks,green paddy fields, friendly elephants and hospitable people.Its primitive, pure, poetic and picturesque style attracts tourists from all over the world.

Situated on the Mekong River, Laos is rich in tourist resources, with some 1,900 tourist attractions including 1,000 natural scenic spots, 534 cultural heritage sites and 300 historical monuments. Laos has 20 national reserves which cover nearly 14 percent of its territory.

At the press conference of Visit Laos Year 2018, Lao deputy prime minister Sonexay Siphandone remarked that the year will feature both domestic and overseas events including 18 activities in provinces across the country such as the Buon That Luang Festival in Vientiane, the Wat Phu (Wap Temple) Festival in Champasak and the Elephant Festival in Sayaboury. Media and travel agents will organize trips to tourist attractions to promote tourism products. Laos will participate in overseas tourism events such as the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2018 and ITB (International Tourism Exchange) Berlin to promote Visit Laos Year 2018.

In preparation for Visit Laos Year 2018, in March 2017 several Laotian provinces launched new initiatives to develop the tourism industry. Sayaboury is set to offer the province’s largest patch of green forest as a new tourist attraction. Vientiane plans to develop the Dale Natural Pond Scenic Area. Xieng Khouang Province is planning to develop the Phonsavan Hills. Sekong Province is developing war sites into tourist attractions. Bokeo Province will build a new leisure resort to attract more tourists.

“The most characteristic tourist resources in Laos are rain forests,wild animals, karst landscapes and original ecological culture,”opined Kenting Solangkoun, a second-year graduate student from Bokeo Province, Laos. He is now majoring in ecotourism at Southwest Forestry University in China. In his view, ecotourism is best in the Nanha Reserve in Luang Nanta Province in northern Laos. Natural environment in the reserve has been preserved and the income of locals has increased.

As a tourist destination,Laos features magnificent golden temples, barefoot monks, green paddy fields, friendly elephants and hospitable people.

601,000

83percent

From 2009 to 2015, Thailand,Vietnam and China were the top three source countries of foreign tourist arrivals. In 2016,the number of Chinese tourists traveling to Laos was the third largest. The number of tourists to Luang Prabang increased by more than 601,000, of which 83 percent came from China.

“We have tall bamboo forests which are home to elephants,long-arm apes, leopards and other wild animals,” noted Solangkoun. “Some villages are built on branches of the Mekong River. Tourists can stay with the local villagers.” He has a deep understanding of tourism as a green business. It is necessary to vigorously develop the economy,but the forest should not be disturbed. Laotians believe that forests generate life. The most important part of developing ecotourism is coordinating the relationship between tourism development and ecological protection.

Representatives of the government of Sayaboury and Yunnan Investment Group sign an agreement establishing an Asian elephant provenance breeding and rescue center in Sayaboury, Laos on February 17.

Sixty-nine elephants in a parade of the Elephant Festival 2018 in Sayaboury, Laos on February 18.

Laos will improve tourism infrastructure and services as well as facilitate visa procedures and customs clearance. In February 2017, Laos further simplified visa procedures for tourists from neighboring countries.According to regulations, tourists from China, Thailand, Vietnam,Myanmar and Cambodia can enter Laos with just a passport or official permit.

Laos has signed cooperation agreements with more than 500 foreign tourism companies and opened 15 international tourist ports. To encourage more tourists to visit Laos, the government offers other incentives including more customs clearance ports,visa on arrival, easy extension of stay and visa exemptions for tourists from designated countries.

Sino-Lao Tourism Cooperation

Tourism cooperation between China and Laos dates back a long time. In November 2017,Wang Tianwen, the Chinese ambassador to Laos, said in an interview: “China has continuously intensified its efforts to help Laos formulate tourism development plans and accelerated the implementation of several tourism cooperation projects such as the tourism training center and the professional training at the Vientiane Confucius Institute.”

1,900tourist attractions including

1,000natural scenic spots

534cultural heritage sites

300historical monuments

Situated on the Mekong River, Laos is rich in tourist resources, with some 1,900 tourist attractions including 1,000 natural scenic spots, 534 cultural heritage sites and 300 historical monuments.

In February 2015, the China National Tourism Administration signed an Memorandum of Understanding with its Lao counterpart on cooperation in the standardization of tourist attractions. According to the MoU,China will provide Laos with the full text of national standards for tourist attraction rating categories. In the ASEAN tourism talent training program held in China, several spots are reserved for officials or experts from the Lao tourism department. The standardized construction of tourist attractions is included in the training program, and on-thespot investigations are organized for Laotian participants.

In recent years, training has been in full swing. China has invited a number of experts and scholars from the China National Standards Commission, the China Tourism Research Institute and the Modernization Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to give lectures to trainees on a variety of subjects.

Lao Minister of Information,Culture and Tourism Bosengkham Vongdara told media that the Laotian participants have learned from the lectures and on-thespot investigations of China’s experience in constructing topclass tourist attractions.

Statistics from the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism show that from 2009 to 2015, Thailand, Vietnam and China were the top three source countries of foreign tourist arrivals. In 2016,the number of Chinese tourists traveling to Laos was the third largest. The number of tourists to Luang Prabang increased by more than 601,000, of which 83 percent came from China.

“Laos will work harder to attract more Chinese tourists,”pledged Vongdara. In January 2017, Laos accelerated tourism cooperation between its northern provinces of Luang Namtha,Oudomxai, Luang Prabang and Xishuangbanna prefecture in China by building a cross-border tourism cooperation zone and a border tourism pilot area.

Within the framework of Visit Laos Year 2018, several special tourist products have been developed for Chinese tourists including the Buon That Luang Festival in Vientiane, the Wat Phu Festival in Champasak, the Elephant Festival in Sayaboury and the Laotian New Year in Luang Prabang.

With the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative,the frequency of flights between China and Laos has increased. More and more people are shuttling between the two countries. “Increasingly convenient transportation and communication will be conducive to the development of Lao tourism,” added Solangkoun.