The Visit Laos-China Year 2019 was launched on Jan 25, 2019 in Vientiane, the capital. Laos has announced plans to draw more Chinese tourists to the landlocked country that stands at the heart of the Mekong Region. The Lao Government predicts that there will be over 6.2 million tourists, almost the same with population size, to visit the country in 2020 and its tourism revenue will reach 1 billion U.S. dollars. Based on an analysis of this trend and other developments, it is very likely that Chinese tourist arrivals will account for a bigger share of the Lao tourism market. This is due to the emerging middle class in China. Chinese people are becoming wealthier and this will enable them to travel around the region, including the Mekong countries.