Laos has no coastal boundaries, making it the one landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordering Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and China. With a current population of just over 7.7 million and roughly 1 million people live within the capital Vientiane. The rest live in 17 provinces of the country. Strategically positioned in the center of continental Southeast Asia or Indochina, through which the Mekong River flows. The country can also be known for its mountainous landscape, French colonial buildings, hill tribe settlements and Buddhist monasteries. The capital of the country is home to the Buddhist temple of Pha Tat Luang, which is alleged to accommodate a reliquary containing the Buddha’s bridge. The city can also be home to the Ho Phrakeo Museum, the Patuxai War Memorial, and Talat Sao, a morning market where you may buy food, clothes, handicrafts, and more.
Identifying Laos’ own cultural wealth
Laos has many cultural similarities with its immediate neighboring countries. However, the country has its own unique cultural heritage and wealth. By identifying these cultural values, Laos will give you the chance to leverage the country’s position not only within the Southeast Asian region, but in addition throughout Asia. It can use this cultural power for diplomacy and tourism promotion purposes. Even as Southeast Asians, we knew little about Laos, its people, traditions and heritage. Religion plays a major role in Lao society; For centuries, Buddhism and Hinduism have had the best influence on cultural and scientific life. Looking into the cultural resources of Laos, we discover that the majority of Laos’ cultural heritage is well preserved and preserved in Buddhist monasteries throughout the country. There usually are not many museums within the country, an important of that are Haw Phra Kew within the capital Vientiane and the Royal Palace Museum in Luang Prabang, which houses a lot of the remaining works of Lao art and culture. As of today, there are three UNESCO cultural heritage sites in Laos: 1) the town of Luang Prabang, 2. Vat Phou and related ancient settlements within the Champasak cultural landscape, and three) the megalithic jar sites in Xiengkhuang – the Plain of Jars. Highlighting these three needs to be enough to find the hidden gem of Laos and use them because the country’s products for cultural diplomacy and tourism promotion, which can hopefully attract many more tourists from the region, thus creating more sources of income not just for the country but in addition for people living near cultural heritage sites. And if we talk concerning the cultural performing arts, literature, arts and crafts of Laos, there may be much more. One of probably the most enchanting performing arts to look out for is the Phralak Phralam dance performance, a neighborhood version of the Ramayana that draws hundreds of individuals yearly.
Learning and comparing with neighbors
Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam are Laos’ neighboring countries which were very successful in using their cultural heritage for cultural diplomacy and tourism promotion purposes, which after all goals to generate large revenues from the tourism and hospitality industry. By taking a look at their success stories, Laos can learn and compare what these three countries have done and achieved over time. By strengthening its cultural values and resources, Laos would give you the chance to not only increase the variety of foreign tourists entering the country, but in addition help develop other supporting sectors directly and not directly related to tourism, similar to agriculture, transport and education. Improved agricultural activities would give you the chance to satisfy the upper food demand within the tourism sector. Special education in tourism and hospitality will equip young Lao individuals with the crucial and relevant knowledge and skills needed to support the industry. The established transportation system will improve the mobility of not only domestic tourists but in addition foreign visitors from one point to a different. A excellent example can be Laos’ semi-fast train, which connects the capital Vientiane with Boten, the country’s northern city, via the UNESCO Cultural Heritage city of Luang Prabang, which began operations in 2021 and makes Laos more accessible to tourists.
Regional Partnership and Promotion
Building regional partnerships with neighboring countries will bring many economic and financial advantages in the long term. The semi-fast train is a superb example of the bilateral partnership between Laos and China. Bringing hope for economic recovery, the $6 billion China-built railway, a 414-kilometer route, opened in December 2021 and took five years to construct as a part of China’s trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative. Some farmers along the route used to take three to 4 hours to move their produce to Vientiane by road, but they hope the brand new railway will cut that delivery time in half. It can also be a superb opportunity to advertise agritourism amongst domestic and foreign tourists. In addition to this transportation infrastructure, Laos could establish regional partnerships with Cambodia and Thailand to advertise their cultural and tourism industries, encouraging more Cambodians and Thais to go to Laos to study their cultural similarities. Laos may use its 2024 ASEAN Chairmanship to encourage ASEAN communities to go to Laos to find its hidden treasures and cultural and natural tourism potential.
