Published on : Wednesday, April 10, 2019
On Sunday, the Lao government hosted a welcome ceremony for the group in Vientiane, which was led by Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Prof. Dr. Bosengkham Vongdara.
The minister warmly welcomed the visitors, since they were the first officially-arranged Chinese tour group to visit Laos as part of Visit Laos-China Year 2019. Participants from both Laos and China got a deeper insight into each other’s culture via a series of performances.
Prof. Dr. Bosengkham said that the governments of Laos and China aims to attract a large number of Chinese visitors to Laos this year, and also encouraging Lao people to visit China.
In a bid to entice Chinese visitors, the Lao government has reduced the tourist visa fee for Chinese nationals from US$20 to US$10.
Prof. Dr Bosengkham invited the visitors to explore Laos’ historical, scenic and cultural attractions, many of which have been restored to serve tourists in a better way. According to the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, Laos recorded more than 4.1 million foreign visitors last year, marking an increase of 8.2 percent compared to 2017.
More than 800,000 tourists came from China in 2018. This year, more than 1 million Chinese tourists are expected to visit Laos.
Tags: 1000 Chinese tourists, Vientiane