Laos' Xayaboury prepares for influx of elephants, Chinese | #AsiaNewsNetwork

Xayaboury authorities are wondering how to accommodate the 500 or so Chinese visitors who will attend the elephant festival in the provincial capital this week and next.

The popular annual event always sees guesthouses fully booked as people from around Laos flock to Xayaboury for the rare chance to see elephants close up and personal.

The Chinese contingent will travel in a convoy of vehicles arranged by a local tour operator.

Head of the Xayaboury provincial Information, Culture and Tourism Department, Mr Chanthy Symanychan, said 70 elephants will take part in this year’s festival, which runs from February 22-28.

The event will include cultural performances by eight ethnic groups while the elephants will also put on shows including running and picture painting, and will play games of football and bowling.

Another big attraction is a street fair selling handicrafts and goods made in Laos and neighbouring countries.

Visitors can watch the elephants taking a bath and also take elephant rides through the town, Mr Chanthy said.

In addition to preparing for the elephant festival, provincial authorities are working to improve services at hotels, guesthouses and restaurants to ensure visitors enjoy their stay during Visit Laos-China Year 2019.

The authorities plan to add Chinese language to signs at some popular tourist sites and publish Chinese language guidebooks.

Tourist attractions in general will be improved and local residents will be encouraged to create activities for district festivals.

Xaysathan district is one of Xayaboury’s standout features because of its foggy weather and fresh air. This area is at a high altitude and authorities plan to create a viewpoint for visitors. The town is about 60km from the provincial capital.

Xayaboury province is about 300km from Vientiane and is full of fascinating sights. There are 29 officially designated nature-based attractions, 12 cultural sites, and six historical sites.

You can learn more about Xayaboury province by visiting the website the website:www.tourismsayaboury.org

During Visit Laos Year 2018, more than 4.1 million people took holidays in Laos, an increase of 8.2 percent over the previous year. At least 800,000 people came from China, an increase of 26 percent on 2017.

Tourism officials are hoping to attract more than 1 million Chinese visitors out of an overall total of 4.5 million during Visit Laos-China Year 2019.

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