Expert: China-Laos railway to bring Yunnan more tourists
Corrado Politi, 75, a loving Italian senior, still works as an international marketing advisor to Yunnan Provincial Tourism Administration.
Corrado Politi
At an interview on August 28, Politi spoke a lot on the China-Laos railway under construction because he had just finished a tour in Laos.
"The railway starts in Yunnan’s Yuxi city, runs southward through Xishangbanna, Mohan Port and Luang Prabang, and terminates in the Lao capital of Vientiane." Politi said that the railway will shorten the China-Laos distance and make it easier for Yunnan and Laos to share the tourist market.
"As a neighbor of the ASEAN, China is a major tourist source country for Laos. Around 545,000 Chinese traveled to the Laos in 2016," said Politi, adding more Chinese tourists will visit Laos when the railway is open to traffic.
Lauding the scenery, environment and inclusiveness of Laos, Politi holds that more visits will be conducive to China-Laos exchanges in economy, culture and people-to-people bond.
"Europe also makes a major tourist source of Laos, and more European people will visit Yunnan when the China-Laos railway opens to traffic,” said Politi. The railway will tourism in Yunnan more international.
During the tourist season July and August when weather in Southeast Asia is hot, Politi suggests that tourists in the ASEAN countries could come to the Spring City of Kunming to avoid summer heat.
Politi thinks that unlike travel by plane a train tour can make tourists fully experience things in the region, and China-Laos railway will bring more tourists to scenic areas along the route.
"Booming tourism will promote cultural exchanges," added Politi’s assistant Zhang Min, who is also a visiting research fellow of the British University of Surrey.
Both know well about the Belt and Road Initiative. Politi thinks that the southern silk road actually used to be very crucial for China to link up the ASEAN, while Zhang Min said in the 21st century the ancient southern silk road will play a leading role in culture exchange.
"As an essential part of the Greater Mekong Sub-region, Yunnan should increase its exchanges and cooperation with the ASEAN countries based on the southern ancient silk road,” suggested Politi.
Chinese reporting by Cao Yunbo; Trans-editing by Eric Wang