A 'Panda Train' is seen in Guiyang, capital of southwest Chi-na’s Guizhou Province, on May 7, 2024. - Xinhua
VIENTIANE: A “Panda Train” set off from Guiyang, the capital of southwest China’s Guizhou Province, on Wednesday (May 8) on a journey heading south to Vientiane, marking an important step in enhancing tourism and cultural links between the two countries, Chinese media reported.
Decorated with images, paintings and mascots of the panda, the “Panda Train” will travel from the Chinese city through Xishuangbanna to Laos.
The eight-day trip includes stops at several landmark attractions in Laos including Vientiane, the country’s biggest city; Vangvieng, a paradise for outdoor activities; Luang Prabang, a world heritage site renowned for its cultural heritage; and the popular Kuangxi Waterfall.
Meanwhile, new travel routes within Guizhou will be launched to enable tourists from across South-East Asia to explore the attractions in the Chinese province, the Guizhou website stated.
The train is expected to run on a regular monthly schedule, with extra trains added depending on passenger numbers.
Guiyang is the third Chinese city to launch rail links to Laos. Earlier, China’s Yunnan province and the capital Beijing began operating trains connecting to the Laos-China Railway, which terminates in Vientiane.
The railway has made a significant contribution to boosting people-to-people links in the sub-region.
According to official data, some 150,000 people of 87 nationalities have crossed the border since the Laos-China Railway began running cross-border trains in April 2023.
The number of tourists visiting Laos from China has increased significantly compared to the years before the Laos-China Railway became operational at the end of 2021.
In 2022, some 45,000 Chinese tourists came to Laos, soaring to 641,314 in 2023, and in the first three months of this year 242,193 Chinese tourists spent time in Laos. - Vientiane Times/ANN
