Boten will draw the crowds once more: officials
Boten will draw the crowds once more: officials
More than US$50 million has been spent on the Boten Specific Economic Zone by the new Chinese developers.
Vice President of the zone's management board Mr Vonekham Phetthavong told Vientiane Times yesterday the developers are currently concentrating on infrastructure development and facilities to accommodate the investment and tourism sectors.
“We are building two hotels which can be as tall as 15 floors to accommodate tourists,” he said.
“About 1,000 tourists visit the zone monthly. Our tourism activities include trekking through forests and watching cultural performances and other activities.”
Boten is located in Luang Namtha province in northern Laos and is accessible by Road No. R3 and from Mohan, just across the border in China's Yunnan province.
The Specific Economic Zone is being developed by two Chinese companies - Yunnan Hai Cheng Industrial Group Stock Co., Ltd. and Hong Kong Fuk Hing Travel Entertainment Group Ltd.
The US$500 million project covers a total area of 1,640 hec tares with a concession period of 99 years.
The Chinese developers will focus on four mega projects: a duty free centre, bus station complex, warehousing and a resort featuring a large natural marsh, hotel, meeting hall and other leisure areas.
Mr Vonekham said many more investors and visitors will head to northern Laos once the economic cooperation zone in the Boten-Mohan border area is fully operati onal.
The governments of Laos and China signed an agreement last year on the establishment of the cooperation zone, aiming to boost trade, investment and tourism in the region.
Mr Vonekham said the zone will serve as a significant gateway between China and Asean.
This is the second cross-border economic cooperation zone that China has established with its neighbours, and should serve as a significant driver of economic partnership in the region.
Prior to this, Boten was a small village on the Laos-China border. The development of the village began in 2003 when a casino was built there by the Hong Kong Fuk Hing Travel Entertainment Group Ltd. The casino brought several thousand people to Boten daily.
But when the casino was shut down in 2011, most businesses closed and Boten became a ghost town.
Mr Vonekham is optimistic that B oten will become a crowded town again when the whole project is fully realised, saying more tourists and investors will come to enjoy the facilities on offer.
One of the most important features to note is that the Laos-China railway will pass through this zone. The railway will spur economic growth in the zone and also for the whole of Laos.
Laos and China have agreed to work together to attract investors from around the world to set up business in the economic cooperation zone at the Boten-Mohan border area for the benefit of the two nations.
