Foundations, Characteristics, and Strategic Paths of Deepening China-Laos Tourism Cooperation
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Abstract
Tourism cooperation between China and Laos represents a critical alignment between the “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) and Laos’ national strategy of transforming from a “land-locked” to a “land-linked” nation. Driven by policy alignment, geographical proximity, and cultural affinity, a multi-tiered and extensive pattern of cooperation is emerging. This study systematically examines the foundations, competitive advantages, and current challenges of this bilateral relationship, proposing innovative strategies for advancing tourism cooperation between the two nations. Our analysis indicates that the policy synchronization and infrastructure connectivity, as exemplified by the China-Laos Railway and cross-border economic zones, have expanded the market and diversified products. Meanwhile, significant bottlenecks remain hurdling tourism development, such as infrastructure deficits in Laos, talent shortages, regional competition, and ecological pressures. Future cooperation at the policy level is recommended to focus on smart tourism integration, product innovation, and regional collaboration to serve as a model for sustainable development within the Lancang-Mekong region. Digital Empowerment: Innovating Smart Tourism Models should involve developing a Metaverse platform, creating a virtual "Luang Prabang" Metaverse space where tourists can visit Wat Xieng Thong and experience the water festival through VR devices and AI-powered technology specifically designed for tourists. The application of Blockchain technology for issuing a Lan Xang-Mekong Tourism Card allows tourists to accumulate points from spending within the region to redeem for cross-border services. A fraud-proof tourism credit system will be created to record the quality of service from merchants and tourist behavior, promoting honest operations. Real-time e-commerce should be implemented, training bilingual (Chinese-Lao) tourism influencers to disseminate images on platforms like TikTok and YouTube to attract international users for purchases. A "live-streaming commerce + travel package" model should be launched where tourists can receive free travel experiences as gifts after purchasing goods such as Lao agarwood and Thai latex pillows.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
บทความที่ปรากฏในวารสารนี้ เป็นความรับผิดชอบของผู้เขียน ซึ่งสมาคมนักวิจัยไม่จำเป็นต้องเห็นด้วยเสมอไป การนำเสนอผลงานวิจัยและบทความในวารสารนี้ไปเผยแพร่สามารถกระทำได้ โดยระบุแหล่งอ้างอิงจาก "วารสารสมาคมนักวิจัย"
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