Laos on the cusp of potential tourism boom

The country's government hopes new hotels, roads and a train system will put it on visitors' lists

- Christine Chung

LAOS - Laos, a place that feels stuck in time, is at the precipice of change.

Backpackers found the country decades ago, drawn by staggeringly beautiful limestone mountains, elaborate Buddhist temples and an unhurried and inexpensive pace of life. Only the most intrepid travellers followed, as Laos, South-east Asia's only landlocked country, operated few – and no long-haul – flights, and potholed and shoddy roads were the norm.

Those who made it traded no-frills accommodations and hours-long bumpy drives for adventure, and almost always tacked Laos onto multi-country itineraries that included neighbouring Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam, all well-oiled tourism machines that each draws at least three times the number of visitors than Laos annually.

Laos wants to change that. While flights remain limited, its visitor infrastructure has strengthened in recent years with new hotels, improved highways and, most notably, a new train system that connects some of the country's most popular tourism destinations.

The government designated 2024 a national tourism year, expanding visa waivers, improving tour guide training, and holding dozens of grand festivals.

Yet, the country and its tourism industry were shaken in November 2024, when at least six tourists fell ill in the town of Vang Vieng and later died. Officials suspect methanol-tainted alcohol is the cause.

I had visited Vang Vieng in July 2024, when my partner, Eli, and I set out for a week-long trip in Laos. We had wondered what it would be like to visit a country on the cusp of a potential tourism boom, particularly one with a longstanding reputation as an inexpensive, under-the-radar destination.

We travelled mostly by rail, but also by bus, to find out.

THE LAOS-CHINA RAILWAY