According to CCTV News, on June 26th, the Lao Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism signed document No. 29, which outlines the implementation details of the visa policy for the "Visit Laos Year 2024."

The document states that tourists from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan Province can enjoy a 15-day visa-free stay when joining travel groups organized through a travel company. This policy will be in effect from July 1st, 2024, to December 31st, 2024.

Following the announcement, the popularity of "Laos tourism" surged rapidly. On the Ctrip platform, searches for Laos-related keywords increased by 87% compared to the previous day. Popular tourist destinations include Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, Pakse, and Savannakhet. The highest interest in Laos travel comes from tourists in Yunnan, Shanghai, Beijing, Sichuan, and Guangdong.

The Qunar index shows that searches for Laos' capital, Vientiane, increased by 91% compared to the previous week. Additionally, Vientiane has become one of the top ten fastest-growing search destinations on the Qunar platform.

According to Fliggy, within an hour of the visa-free policy announcement, searches for flights to Laos nearly doubled. Kunming, Guangzhou, and Chengdu are the top departure cities for trips to Laos.

Reports from Yangcheng Evening News indicate that flight operations between China and Laos have recovered to approximately 90%. There are direct flights to Vientiane from Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Kunming, Haikou, and Nanning.

International railway information reveals that the China-Laos Railway, which operates international passenger trains between Kunming South and Vientiane stations, runs one train in each direction daily. The total travel time is nine hours and 26 minutes, allowing for same-day rail travel between Kunming and Vientiane.

Qunar reports that, as an international train destination, Vientiane had its instant search volume triple within an hour after the visa-free news announcement compared to the previous hour.

"The China-Laos Railway has launched international passenger trains between Kunming and Vientiane, addressing the shortfall in flight availability and playing a crucial role in promoting the movement of people and the development of tourism between the two countries," said a Ctrip spokesperson. This year, orders for travel to Laos by tourists from the Chinese mainland have doubled compared to the previous year, with summer travel orders increasing by more than 140%. Laos is now among the top ten fastest-growing outbound destinations for the summer.

The spokesperson noted that with the visa-free policy for Chinese tourists, Laos will join Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand in forming avisa-free zone, further boosting Chinese tourism to Southeast Asia.

The platform advises travelers that if they purchase train tickets to Laos online, they must present their valid passport, used at the time of purchase, at one of the designated ticket windows at Kunming, Kunming South, Pu'er, Xishuangbanna, or Mohan stations to exchange for a paper ticket before boarding.

中国游客免签再添一国！下一站：老挝

据央视新闻消息，当地时间6月26日，老挝新闻文化旅游部部长签发《2024老挝旅游年关于对特定游客签证政策实施细则》29号文件。

根据文件内容，中国内地（大陆）及港澳台游客可以通过旅游公司组织，享受普通护照15天免签政策。政策执行时间从2024年7月1日起到2024年12月31日。

消息发出后，“老挝旅游”热度迅速上涨。携程平台上，老挝相关关键词搜索热度环比前一天增长87%，热门旅游城市包括万象、琅勃拉邦、万荣、巴色、沙湾拿吉等。云南、上海、北京、四川、广东等地游客搜索老挝旅游的热情最高。

去哪儿指数显示，老挝首都万象搜索量环比上周增长91%。此外，万象也是去哪儿平台上搜索增速最快的十大城市之一。

飞猪方面则显示，免签政策发布1小时内，飞往老挝的机票搜索热度环比激增近一倍，其中昆明、广州、成都是近期前往老挝旅游的热门国内出发城市。

羊城晚报记者了解到，目前，中国至老挝的航班恢复率约90%，上海、广州、杭州、重庆、昆明、海口、南宁均有直飞老挝首都万象的航班。

国际铁路相关信息显示，已开通的中老铁路从昆明南、万象站双向对开国际旅客列车，每日各1列，全程运行时间为9小时26分，昆明至万象间可实现乘火车当日通达。

去哪儿方面表示，作为国际火车目的地，免签消息公布后一小时，万象在平台上的瞬时搜索量即环比上一小时增长3倍。

“中老铁路开通昆明至万象间国际旅客列车，弥补了航班恢复率的不足，对促进两国人员流动和旅游业发展有重要作用。”携程相关负责人表示，今年以来，中国内地游客赴老挝旅游订单同比增长约1倍，暑期赴老挝旅游订单同比增长超140%，老挝位列暑期出境目的地增速靠前的十大国家。

该负责人指出，老挝对中国游客免签后，将与“新马泰”形成连片免签区，进一步带动中国游客前往东南亚旅游。

平台方提醒旅客，若通过互联网渠道购买赴老挝火车票，乘车前需持购票时使用的本人有效护照，到昆明、昆明南、普洱、西双版纳、磨憨5个指定车站售票窗口换取纸质车票方可登车。

文丨记者 刘星彤 通讯员 李栋 晓双 大宝
翻译丨林佳岱