China-Laos Railway helps boost tourist arrivals in Laos

The China-Laos Railway, linking the Lao capital Vientiane with Kunming, the capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, has helped to significantly boost tourism in the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia, which is experiencing a surge in both domestic and international arrivals.

Since its launch in December 2021, the 1,035-kilometer rail line has helped to connect the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Laos' strategy to convert itself from a landlocked country to a land-linked hub in the Indo-China Peninsula.

"The railway has brought benefits to tourism in the country, not only from visitors from China of course, but also other international tourists who are visiting Vientiane and then being able to connect on up to Luang Prabang and other important tourist sites. And then it has also brought a surge in domestic tourists," said Steven Cleary, a Vientiane-based analyst.

With only a 3.5-kilometer-long railroad to Thailand previously, the economic development of Laos had long been restricted.

Thanks to the launch of the China-Laos Railway cross-border passenger train service in April 2023, tourism got activated in Laos, a top priority amid the Lao government's efforts to revitalize the economy.

"Taking a train here is not only good and quite comfortable but also allows us to enjoy the scenery along the way," said Zhuo Liyan, a Chinese tourist of a group that traveled down to Vientiane from Yunnan.

"I feel very happy, very good, and eat very well," said Wang Yiyong, another Chinese tourist.

The railway plays a crucial role in attracting more visitors to explore the plentiful tourist attractions in the South Asian country.

For instance, nestled in the lush jungle surrounding the historic royal settlement, Luang Prabang, situated beside the Mekong River, is renowned for its architecture and magnificent Buddhist temples. The town was listed by UNESCO as a world heritage in 1995.

Previously, reaching Luang Prabang involved a lengthy and strenuous journey by road, but now, it is just a two-hour train ride away from Vientiane.

"We heard that it's a great experience to travel by train -- you get to see a lot more of the country and experience it, and it's a very convenient method of transportation. So, we're looking forward to making that journey," said Peter Lusse, a Dutch tourist.

China-Laos Railway helps boost tourist arrivals in Laos

Geomagnetic storms are expected to occur in the next two days following a series of intense solar flares, according to China's National Center for Space Weather on Thursday.

Geomagnetic storms are global disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field caused by solar activity. They primarily affect areas such as aerospace, shortwave communication, and power systems.

A total of five solar flares were observed between 08:00 on Tuesday and 08:00 on Thursday (Beijing time), two of which reached the level of X-class. Solar flares are rated based on their strength, with A-class being the weakest, followed by B, C, M and X as the most potent.

Accompanying the solar flares, the Sun also experienced coronal mass ejections (CMEs), meaning large expulsions of plasma from the sun's outermost layer. As a result, geomagnetic storms are expected to occur on Earth on Friday and Saturday.

Colorful auroras will be observable in the two days, but the storms are not likely to present danger, the center said.

"The Earth's atmosphere acts like a 'shield,' protecting us from X-rays and high-energy particles. When these particles reach the outer layers of the Earth's atmosphere, they are absorbed or blocked, meaning they generally do not affect human health on the ground," said Song Qiao, chief forecaster of the China's National Center for Space Weather, China Meteorological Administration.

Intense geomagnetic activities can affect the migration and navigation abilities of animals. Homing pigeons, which rely on solar and geomagnetic navigation, are particularly impacted, according to the center.

China's space weather center forecasts geomagnetic storms