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       Laos, a place that feels stuck in time, is at the precipice of change.

       Backpackers found the country decades ago, drawn by staggeringly beautiful limestone mountains, elaborate Buddhist temples and an unhurried and inexpensive pace of life. Only the most intrepid travelers followed, as Laos, Southeast Asia’s only landlocked country, operated few — and no long-haul — flights, and potholed and shoddy roads were the norm. Those who made it traded no-frills accommodations and hourslong bumpy drives for adventure, and almost always tacked Laos onto multicountry itineraries that included neighboring Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam, all well-oiled tourism machines that each draw at least three times the number of visitors than Laos annually.

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       Wat Xiengthong is one of the many temples that led the city of Luang Prabang to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Credit...Lauren DeCicca for The New York Times

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       Buddhist monks walked through the streets in Luang Prabang, collecting alms shortly after sunrise.Credit...Lauren DeCicca for The New York Times

       Laos wants to change that. While flights remain limited, the country’s visitor infrastructure has strengthened in recent years with new hotels, improved highways and, most notably, a new train system that runs as fast as 160 kilometers (100 miles) per hour and connects some of the country’s most popular tourism destinations. Last year, the government designated 2024 a national tourism year, expanding visa waivers, improving tour guide training, and holding dozens of grand festivals.

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       Luang Prabang sits on a peninsula formed by the Mekong and the Nam Khan Rivers.Credit...Lauren DeCicca for The New York Times

       Yet the country and its tourism industry were shaken in November, when at least six young tourists fell ill in the town of Vang Vieng and later died. Officials suspect methanol-tainted alcohol is the cause.

       Map highlighting theLao-China Railway in Laos..

       100 miles

       Kunming

       China

       Vietnam

       Nong

       Khiaw

       Hanoi

       Tham Pha

       Thok caves

       Luang

       Prabang

       South

       China

       Sea

       Vang Vieng

       Lao-China Railway

       Vientiane

       Mekong R.

       Laos

       Thailand

       Railways

       By The New York Times

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