How making travel easier will change Laos tourism: new road and railway will draw more mainstream visitors, but will adventure seekers be put off?

Laos has always drawn seekers after rugged adventure, but new rail and road links will open the country up to mainstream visitors and, some hope, high-end ones

In particular, more will come from China, and that could change some destinations, an industry insider says, but tourists ‘can still take the older routes’

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Construction work under way on a bridge carrying the China-to-Laos railway. The opening of the line and a north-south highway will change tourism in Laos by making it easier to travel to and within the country. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 7:15am, 26 Jul 2021Updated: 7:15am, 26 Jul 2021

There’s something endearing about travelling in Laos; its rugged, jungle-clad, mountainous interior provides one of Southeast Asia’s great adventures.

Because of a lack of modern infrastructure, though, such a trip can be fraught with frustration and uncertainty, especially for those on a tight schedule. Poor infrastructure also sustains poverty in remote regions.

For better or for worse, Chinese-developed and -funded infrastructure is opening Laos up to the outside world. This development is best exemplified by two major projects: the 414km (257-mile) rail link that, when it opens (scheduled for December 2021), will connect Boten in Yunnan province, on the China-Laos border, with Vientiane, the Laotian capital; and the China-Laos expressway, the Vientiane-Vang Vieng section of which was inaugurated in December 2020.

These links are expected not only to boost trade between the neighbouring nations, but also to open Laos up to more international tourists.

A view of the Vientiane-Vang Vieng section of the China-Laos expressway in Vientiane, Laos. Photo: Xinhua

The high-speed railway in particular is a welcome addition to Lao tourism, says Duangmala Phommavong, managing director of Exo Travel Laos – which designs itineraries for tourists – and a board member of the Laos Chamber of Commerce and Industry.