China-Laos Railway boosts short outbound travel

During the Dragon Boat Festival holiday from June 8 to June 10, the number of passengers taking the China-Laos Railway international passenger train for short-distance outbound travel has surged, fueling a boom in such trips.

 On April 13 this year, the China-Laos Railway launched an international passenger train service from south Yunnan's Xishuangbanna in China to Luang Prabang in Laos, with the entire journey taking only about five hours. As of June 10, the newly added international train pair has seen 6,453 passenger trips across the border.

Mr. Zhang, a passenger, said, "We flew from Guangzhou to Xishuangbanna specifically to experience the China-Laos Railway. It's very convenient to go directly from Xishuangbanna to Luang Prabang."

Li Shiling, a tour guide from Yunnan Xishuangbanna Overseas International Travel Service, said that due to the short travel time and distance of the train, the number of tourists traveling to Laos or entering China is increasing. During the Dragon Boat Festival, the company's business grew by more than 20%.

Source：Xinhua; trans-editing by Guo Yao