Cross-border rail adds to the joy of Thai festivities

NONG KHAI, Thailand — The northeastern Thai province of Nong Khai has been reveling in the joy of the Songkran Festival with neighboring Laos since the cross-border passenger service of the China-Laos Railway began on Thursday.

Many were equally thrilled about the launching of the cross-border passenger service on the China-Laos Railway on the occasion of the most important festival for Thailand and Laos, on the other side of the Mekong River.

Jiranun Sakultangphaisal, an adviser to the Nong Khai tourism association, said many in the local tourism industry had received inquiries from Thai tourists about the cross-border passenger service of the China-Laos Railway.

The enthusiasm was no surprise for Jiranun, who runs a hotel in Nong Khai, because she had witnessed how Thai tourists poured in on holidays to cross the border to experience the China-Laos Railway since it was inaugurated in December 2021.

"People from Thailand come to Nong Khai to ask how to take the China-Laos Railway. Sometimes we have more customers than we can serve."

Many tourists stay overnight in Nong Khai before traveling to the Lao capital of Vientiane, about 20 kilometers away. It has given a fillip to Jiranun's hotel business and the local tourism sector seeking to recover from the pandemic.

Monnipa Kovitsirikul, chairwoman of the Nong Khai Chamber of Commerce, said she hopes Chinese tourists who arrive in Laos will travel further to tour Nong Khai and the wider northeastern region of Thailand.

"We are getting ready for more Chinese tourists, preparing more transport and Chinese-speaking staff."

Many industries in Nong Khai have benefited from the China-Laos Railway, creating jobs and bringing new opportunities for businesses, Monnipa said.

She has seen new investment from within Thailand into Nong Khai and greater efforts by the Thai government to upgrade local infrastructure, she said.

The China-Laos Railway has also provided another transport route for Thailand to access the vast Chinese market.

"The transport of goods between China, Laos and Thailand used to take longer because of poor roads," said Wittawat Pleumram, a customs official in Nong Khai. "The China-Laos Railway has cut travel time to about 10 hours, facilitating the transport of goods such as fruit that requires speedy delivery."

For Jiranun, the tourism association adviser, the China-Laos Railway is also a road of friendship that brings Thailand, China and Laos closer together by increasing connectivity and people-to-people exchange.

"More exchanges will facilitate greater understanding, which will, in turn, facilitate more collaboration."

Xinhua