The first station along the Laos-China Railway was completed on Wednesday, marking a significant occasion for the railway line.

The last concrete casting on top of Nateuy Station has been completed, making it the first station fully constructed along the train line.

Nateuy Station includes one platform and three tracks, a station hall, a waiting hall, ticket halls, substations, and offices. The station, located some 20 kilometers from the Boten Border Crossing, will be a key passenger and freight distribution center in Laos, Xinhua reports.

China Railway Construction Engineering Group (CRCEG) has continued to work diligently in the face of setbacks including monsoon weather and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Despite many challenges, the engineers ensured that the station was completed on Wednesday, ahead of schedule.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Vientiane Station was held in July.

Vientiane Station, located in Xay Village, Xaythany District, is to be built by China Railway Construction Group. The station will consist of four platforms with seven track lines and two additional platforms with three lines reserved.

The station will accommodate up to 2,500 passengers with a total area of 14,543 square meters, according to Laos-China Railway Co. (LCRC), the Vientiane-based joint venture enterprise responsible for the development and operation of the railway.

“Vientiane Station will be the largest passenger station of the Laos-China railway, and it is expected to connect with the other railway lines planned by the Lao side,” said  Head of the Laos-China Railway Project Management Committee under the Lao Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Mr. Chantoula Phanalasy at the ceremony.

The Laos-China Railway project has been constructed under Chinese management and to Chinese technological standards and is scheduled to open to traffic in December 2021.

The Laos-China Railway will run some 414 kilometers, including 198km of tunnels, and will traverse 62km of bridges. It will run from the Boten border gate, connecting Northern Laos to China, down to Vientiane Capital, with an operating speed of 160km per hour.

The Lao Thiao Lao marketing campaign kicked off on 11 September at a launch event in Vientiane, demonstrating how the public and private sectors are coming together to boost domestic tourism against the backdrop of the global Covid-19 pandemic.

This public-private partnership brings together the Ministry of Education and Sports(MoES), the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism (MICT), the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI), and leading tourism and hospitality businesses to support the promotion of domestic tourism, with the LNCCI taking the lead with its implementation.

“This is a unique way in which the public and private sectors have joined together to co-finance a tourism marketing campaign,” said LNCCI board member Inthy Deuansavanh, who is spearheading the Lao Thiao Lao campaign for the LNCCI.

Mr. Deuansavanh, who is the founder of Green Discovery Laos and the Inthira Hospitality Group, explained, “The campaign will be a largely online, aiming to promote some of the great special offers that are currently available and inspire young Lao people’s sense of adventure to visit some of the amazing destinations around the country.”

Working with key influencers and utilizing online advertising and destination promotion videos, the campaign will also feature online competitions to engage and inspire with prizes including free holidays to some of the featured destinations.

The Skills for Tourism Project (LAO/029), a project implemented by the MoES and LuxDev (the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency), is providing the initial financial support for the Lao Thiao Lao campaign. The LNCCI aims to raise additional funds from the private sector through a range of sponsorship and partnership packages to encourage businesses to contribute financial and in-kind donations towards the campaign.

While boosting domestic tourism will be crucial in supporting tourism and hospitality businesses, Mr. Nouphanh Outsa, the Director-General of the Technical and Vocational Education Department at the MoES, also emphasized that “a strong tourism sector is imperative to providing employment opportunities for students undertaking tourism and hospitality studies across the country.”

Mr. Bounlap Duangphoumy, Deputy Director-General of the Tourism Marketing Department at MICT added that “the Lao Thiao Lao marketing campaign is a key component of the support being provided to tourism and hospitality businesses to help them survive until international tourism rebounds again.”

Print and broadcast media, such as prominent newspapers and magazines as well as radio will provide feature stories, cover shots, photo essays related to the Lao Thiao Lao campaign, and/or advertising space. The LNCCI has already enlisted The Laotian Times, Una Studio, Tholakhong, Muan.la, Lao Youth Radio, Mahason Magazine, and Discover Laos Today, with more expected to sign on.

LNCCI has partnered with RDK Group to bring the technical expertise to implement the Lao Thiao Lao campaign with dedicated Facebook and Instagram pages launched last week. The campaign will run from September 2020 to January 2021 with the possibility of extending further into 2021.

Businesses and organizations interested in sponsorship or partnership packages should contact Ms. Khambang Inkham at the LNCCI on 021 453312 directly for all inquiries.

With the Covid-19 situation bringing difficult times to tourism and hospitality businesses in Lao PDR, the Lao Thiao Lao campaign is supported by the Skills for Tourism Project (LAO/029), which is financed by the Governments of Lao PDR, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Switzerland.

Technical and vocational schools and colleges around the country have assembled their tourism and hospitality courses under one central Facebook Page titled “Hosts of Laos.”

The Facebook Page, spearheaded by the Technical Vocational Education and Training Department, under the Ministry of Education and Sports, is part of a national campaign highlighting the benefits of vocational training for careers in tourism and hospitality, and contains information on a variety of different courses ranging from three months to three years, depending on previous qualifications and certification levels.

Applications for the 2020-2021 academic year diploma courses in Hotel Operations, Restaurant Operations and Travel Agency and Tour Operations, are now officially open in 18 TVET institutions across the country with more information available through the Facebook Page. These vocational programs provide students with the necessary skills for careers in the tourism and hospitality sector such as cooks, room attendants, bartenders, receptionists, and, food and beverage attendants.

“The Tourism and Hospitality sector is one of the pillars of the Lao economy, and while the Covid-19 global pandemic undoubtedly presents challenges for the sector in the short-term, we are confident that its resilience will help it bounce back rapidly and return to being a key employer and driver of the Lao economy,” says Mr. Nouphan Outsa, Director General of the TVET Department.

Depending on the course and school, tuition fees start at an affordable rate of LAK 250,000 per term, with certain students eligible for a monthly stipend of up to LAK 200,000 to cover living expenses – an attractive proposition for many students from modest socioeconomic backgrounds.

Deadlines for applications vary according to the school and course, with the majority closing their application period towards the end of September.

This campaign is financed by the Skills for Tourism Project (LAO/029) which is funded by the Governments of Lao PDR, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Switzerland, and implemented by the Ministry of Education and Sports of Lao PDR and LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency.

Source: https://laotiantimes.com/2020/08/14/students-encouraged-to-apply-for-tourism-and-hospitality/

International tourist arrivals in Laos during the first six months of this year have dropped sixty percent compared to the same period last year.

Laos confirmed its first case of Covid-19 on 24 March, going into full lockdown on 30 March, with measures prohibiting residents from leaving their homes except for essential tasks. International and customary borders were closed, and interprovincial travel was
banned. Hotels and restaurants were authorized to continue operations, however, restrictions on travel forced most to close down temporarily or permanently.

Despite a lifting of certain lockdown measures and an initial victory declared over Covid-19 in June, the impact on the economy is expected to be disastrous, while unemployment has jumped to 25%.

The Vientiane Times quotes an internal report by the Department of Tourism Marketing, Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism as showing that international visitor numbers have fallen from 2,228,459 in January to June 2019, to just 886,447 in the first six months of this year.

According to the report, visitors from ASEAN member countries fell by 62%, with visitor numbers from Thailand falling by more than half.

Vietnamese arrivals dropped 60%, while the number of Chinese tourists dropped by 46%, and visitors from South Korea dropped 14%.

Lao Visits Laos

While the tourism industry in Laos has been affected by the loss of international arrivals, a domestic tourism campaign is beginning to take shape.

First announced informally late last year, the idea of promoting domestic tourism predates the Covid-19 pandemic, however, it has become all the more pertinent amid the current economic downturn.

“Industry leaders are likely to collaborate on special promotions, combining flights and accommodation or meals to attract tourists from within the country,” says Jason Rolan, Senior Partner at RDK Group, a marketing and consulting firm specializing in tourism.

While little has been confirmed in regard to the upcoming campaign except for its working title, “Lao Visits Laos,” it is believed that the campaign will bring together stakeholders from across the tourism and hospitality sector in a combined push to stimulate the sector.

Thai energy giant BCPG Public Company has announced plans to develop ASEAN’s largest wind farm in Laos, capitalizing on rising demand for energy in the region. 

The firm has announced that it will invest USD 840 million to build the facility, with a capacity of 600 megawatts, on 64,000 hectares in southern Laos.

The wind farm, located near the Mekong River across from Ubon Ratchathani, is expected to generate electricity for sale to Vietnam’s state-run Electricity Vietnam (EVN).

While feasibility studies identified sufficient winds in the area as early as 2015, the return on investment remained an obstacle until recently.

According to a report by Bangkok Post, president and chief executive Bundit Sapianchai said his company plans to sign a power purchase agreement with EVN this October to kick start the project, named “Swan”.

BCPG has invested in the project through its subsidiary company, Impact Energy Asia Development Co, which holds 45% ownership, while the other 55% is held by Impact Electrons Siam.

After signing, construction of the project will commence, and it is expected to be operational by 2023.

Citing an agreement between Laos and Vietnam for the trade of energy between the two nations, Mr. Bundit Sapianchai says BCPG took over the 114MW Nam San 3A and 3B from a company in Laos in order to sell electricity to EVN.

The rapid expansion of BCPG is aimed at offsetting a decline in sales as adder tariffs are expected to expire in 2023 and 2024 for its 11 solar farms in Thailand, meaning the company will lose revenue without its current benefit when selling power back to the grid.

Instead, it has begun to invest heavily in Laos and Japan.

BCPG was established in 2015 after spinning off from Bangchak Corporation. The Company was listed on the stock exchange market in 2016.

“Through five years of stable and sustainable growth, BCPG has been keen on business expansion in the clean energy business to create value for every sector. Experiences and expertise gained from the investments in various countries will definitely bring about the Company’s growth over 75% in the next five years” said, Mr. Bundit.

Source: https://laotiantimes.com/2020/07/29/thai-firm-keen-to-construct-aseans-largest-wind-farm-in-laos/