Laos, Russia keen to boost ties in tourism

Russia hopes to strengthen cooperation with Laos in the area of tourism, to enable citizens to more easily visit each other’s countries.
Ambassador Vladimir A. Kalinin of the Russian Federation to Laos told Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Mrs Suanesavanh Vignaket that his country hopes to broaden tourism cooperation with Laos.
The Ambassador asked the Lao tourism minister to include Russian language on the Lao tourism website and suggested that Russia add Lao language on its tourism website, so that people in both countries can get information about visitor attractions.
This would spur interest in travel and bolster people-to-people exchanges.
The Ambassador also highlighted the importance of creating conditions that would enable tour operators in Laos and Russia to work together to further boost tourism.

During the meeting, the two sides also discussed issues relating to the Asean Single Visa, which is essential for Russians visiting Laos and other Asean member countries.
In 2016, more than 4.2 million tourists came to Laos, of whom more than 3 million were from Asean countries and at least 13,000 came from Russia.
During the meeting, the Ambassador said Russia was also keen to sign a cultural cooperation agreement with Laos which could be done online, possibly during the Laos-Russia Joint Commission Meeting scheduled to take place in the next three months.
Concerning cooperation in the field of information, the Lao News Agency and Lao Press in Foreign Languages have signed an agreement with the Itar Tass Russian News Agency and Sputnik News on the exchange of news so that people in Laos and Russia can learn more about each other and the progress of development in their respective countries.
Ties between Laos and Russia cover the fields of trade and investment, energy and mining, telecommunications and communications technology, science and education, health, culture, and tourism.
Many Lao nationals are attending universities and other educational institutions in Russia, which should help to further strengthen friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update February 24, 2022)