Thailand expects it will benefit from the spillover tourism from the Laos-China Railway when China fully opens its borders in 2023.
The Thaiger reports that the Association of Thai Travel Agents (Atta) anticipates around 3 million Chinese travelers will travel through the 423 km railway line that runs between Boten, a northern Lao town on the border of China, and the capital city of Vientiane.
Honorary Secretary-General of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, Mr. Adith Chairattananon said, “Laos may not have the capability to support a large scale of tourists, in terms of facilities or accommodation. Thailand must take this opportunity to serve the overflow coming across the land border.”
At least a million Chinese tourists traveled to Thailand in 2019 and 80 percent of them traveled by air.
“It is estimated the number could reach 4-5 million next year, mostly by land through the Laos-China railway connecting Kunming and Vientiane, assuming China’s borders are fully reopened by that time,” informs Mr. Adith.
Laos has already seen over one million tourists this year until September, including 644,756 international visitors. The government expects to attract at least 900,000 foreign visitors in 2022, which could lead to over USD 218 million in revenue.
