Tourism committee nods to Mekong River route linking Northeast Thailand to Laos
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THE National Tourism Committee has approved a plan to develop routes along the Mekong River to link Loei and Nong Khai in the Northeast with Luang Prabang and Vientiane in Laos.
The aim is to increase cross-border travel, Chuwit Mitrchob, assistant director-general of the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (Dasta), said yesterday.
The first step is to ask Laos to open a checkpoint in Muang Sanakham, which is located opposite Chiang Khan district in Loei, and to open another gate in Bang Wang, which is across the river from Pak Chom district in Loei.
Dasta is also keen to open a gate in Chiang Khan.
“If the two border passes are opened, tourists from Thailand can cross and travel into Laos by starting at Thailand’s existing checkpoint in Tha Li district in Loei,” he said.
The National Tourism Committee also wants Dasta to prepare more river and overland routes to link cities such as Loei (Thailand)-Xayaburi-Luan Prabang, Loei- Vientiane, Chiang Khan-Luang Prabang and Chiang Khan-Luang Prabang.
Chiang Khan has been picked to develop a community-based tourism prototype called the Chiang Khan Position Model.
The project would connect this ancient town on the Mekong with cities in Laos to boost tourism and expand trade and investment in both countries.
Statistics show that visitors to Loei have increased dramatically over a 10-year period, from 760,000 in 2003 to 1.9 million in 2013, while tourism income in the period tripled from Bt890 million to Bt3.1 billion.
Chiang Khan alone welcomed 25,000 visitors in 2003 and almost 600,000 in 2013. Total revenue also increased by 68 per cent per year during the period.
Laos also saw its tourist numbers explode from 740,000 in 2003 to 3.7 million in 2013, representing an increase of 26 per cent per year. Tourism revenue grew by 24 per cent per year during the decade.
Key sources of revenue for Laos are tourists from Asean member countries, including Thailand, which make up 54 per cent of all visitors. Europe makes up 5.6 per cent, North America is at 2.3 per cent and Africa is at 0.2 per cent.
