VIENTIANE, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Northern Laos' Xayaboury province is becoming a major transit hub for international tourists after Lao government upgraded a border crossing with Thailand to international level, according to a senior provincial official.
"We are becoming a new transit hub for international tourists coming to Laos," local daily Vientiane Times on Friday quoted the province's Deputy Governor Yanyong Siphaseuth as saying on Thursday.
Yanyong spoke to the daily by telephone while supervising preparations for the opening ceremony of the Pang Mong International Border Crossing in Khop district of Xayaboury province, which shares a border with Thailand's Phu Sang district in Phayao province.
The opening ceremony will be held on Saturday in Xayaboury province, which will be attended by senior officials from Laos and Thailand, according to the report.
There are already three international border crossings with Thailand in Xayaboury province - one is in Paklai district, one is in Khaenthao district, and the other is in Ngeun district.
Yanyong said the opening of another international crossing would transform the province into a major transit hub for tourists visiting northern Laos, especially the world heritage town of Luang Prabang, some 170 km north of Lao capital Vientiane.
"Tourists from Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai who plan to visit Luang Prabang can use this border crossing," he said, adding that passage through this entry point would now be faster.
He said Xayaboury provincial authorities expected to benefit from the crossing serving as a transit hub, adding that the upgraded status would boost the local tourism industry.
In addition, Yanyong said provincial authorities expected the crossing point would provide a major boost to the agriculture and handicraft industry as farmers would find it easier to transport their goods to Thai markets.
Lao government has invested a massive amount in the construction of roads, bridges and railways in a bid to transform the country into a land bridge within the Mekong region, said the report.
The transformation of the country from landlocked into a land link would create new opportunities for Laos to attract foreign investment, especially in the service, tourism and agriculture sectors.
