Plain of Jars celebration planned to coincide with National Games

An official celebration of the Plain of Jars’ inscription on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) list of World Heritage Sites is slated for March 22, 2020, in Xieng Khuang province during the opening ceremony of the National Games.
The planned celebration was announced at a press conference held in Vientiane yesterday, which was chaired by the Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Prof. Dr Bosengkham Vongdara.

The recognition of the Megalithic Jar Sites by UNESCO is expected to swell visitor numbers and bolster the economy of Xieng Khuang province.
The formal declaration of the Plain of Jars as a World Heritage Site took place during the 43rd Session of the World Heritage Committee in Baku, Azerbaijan, recently.
The Plain of Jars is Laos’ third World Heritage Site. The old town of Luang Prabang was inscribed by UNESCO in 1995, followed by Vat Phou Champassak in 2001.
Officials are now preparing an application to have Hin Nam Nor (Stone Forest) in Khammuan province recognised as a World Heritage Site, the minister said.
The Plain of Jars, located on a plateau in northern Laos, is named for the more than 2,100 tubular-shaped megalithic stone jars that are believed to have been used for funerary practices in the Iron Age. The extensive site has long been a popular tourist attraction.
Xieng Khuang province is also home to many other places of interest, including hot springs, caves and old temples.
The province is located 435km north of Vientiane and has about 172 officially designated tourist sites. These include 87 nature-based sites, 56 cultural sites and 29 places of historical interest, according to the Xieng Khuang provincial Information, Culture and Tourism Department.
The province also has 18 hotels, 125 resorts and guesthouses, 124 restaurants, and 10 entertainment venues. More than 144,000 visitors came to Xieng Khuang last year, according to the Tourism Development Department, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism.

By Siladda Souliyong
(Latest Update July 26, 2019)