On the rails

Meanwhile, the number of foreign tourists entering China visa-free through the Mohan railway port rose by 48 percent year-on-year in 2025. On the Lao side, cities such as Vientiane and Luang Prabang have also seen tourist numbers climb steadily, according to China Central Television.

Moreover, the tourism boom driven by international passenger trains is only a microcosm of the broader effects of the China-Laos Railway. What this railway carries goes far beyond travelers — it delivers the development dividends of regional connectivity, reshaping the landscape of regional trade. The railway recorded robust growth of 62.7 percent year-on-year in cross-border cargo trade in the first quarter, according to Kunming Customs.

According to a World Bank forecast, the transit trade through Laos along the railway corridor could reach an estimated 3.9 million tons per year by 2030, and Laos' tourism industry could benefit greatly from an increase in demand for passenger rail traffic, which is expected to account for the majority of train traffic by 2030.

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