Plain Of Jars Potential As Unesco World Heritage Site Considered
Source: Vientiane Times
A meeting will be held this week in Xieng Khuang province to report on the progress made for the consideration of the Plain of Jars (Thong Hai Hin) as a potential UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The two-day meet organised by the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, will be held from Thursday in Xieng Khuang, home to the Plain of Jars.
A ministry official told Vientiane Times on Tuesday that the meet will also discuss the potential of Thong Hai Hin as a world heritage site.
“The progress of the preparation will be reported in the meeting and cannot be disclosed before themeeting,” he said. The ministry has been hoping for years that the Jars Plain becomes a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
One of the essentials for making it to a World Heritage Site is the development of tourist facilites around the site which will generate the much-needed revenue to protect it.
The mysterious Jars were carved from sandstone and granite, and their size ranges from around 3.5 metres upwards. They are thought to be more than 2,000 years old. There are several sites with ancient jars in the province, but three sites in Paek district are popular with visitors.
The first site is 15 km southwest of Phonsavanh in Paek district and has about 300 jars. The second site is 25 km south of Phonsavanh and contains about 90 jars spread over two hills. The third site is35 km southeast of Phonsavanh and has about 150 jars.
Xieng Khuang is located in northern Laos. The number of foreign tourists has shot up over the years, attracting 75,000 foreign visitors last year alone.
However, as this is the Visit Laos Year 2018, the ministry hopes that Laos will receive around 5 million
foreign visitors.
Laos has two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the ancient city of Luang Prabang, which was nominated in 1995 and the pre-Angkor Vat Phou temple complex in Champassak province, which was nominated in 2001.
Currently, the ministry is also working to prepare the submission of the Hin Namno National Protected Area to UNESCO.
Hin Namno, otherwise known as the Stone Formation Forest Karst, in Khammuan province’s National Protected Area, is a beautiful locale with breathtaking views.
