New bus route to promote tourism and trading
New bus route to promote tourism and trading
A new bus route between Loei province, Thailand and Luang Prabang province in Laos will help to promote historic cities and boost trade, bringing Laos and Thailand closer together.
The new bus route, No. 14 from Loei via Xayaboury province to Luang Prabang, was launched early this year offering a new way of conveniently travelling between some of Southeast Asia's most fascinating destinations ahead of the formation of the Asean Economic Community.
The route resulted from cooperation between Thailand's Transport Company Limited and the Lao PDR's Nalouang Transportation Company in Laung Prabang.
The route covers an approximate distance of 400 km and the journey takes around nine hours. A one-way trip between Luang Prabang and Loei costs 180,000 Kip or about 700 baht, Naluang Transportation Company Director Mr Souknasing Sanakeo told Vientiane Times yesterday.
In the first period of service the Lao and Thai companies are offering only one service per day in each direction, both leaving their starting points at 8:00 am, although the operators will increase this to two times a day when the number of passengers justifies it, he said.
The new route will offer another means of transport for travellers and traders as well as for Lao students who are studying in Thailand, said Mr Souknasing.
He commented that the route currently has a problem with the poor road surface in Nan district, Luang Prabang province, and expected the journey time would be reduced to about 7-8 hours after improvements to this section of road are completed after Lao New year in April.
This is the second service to Thailand being offered by the Nalouang company after they launched their first route to Chiang Mai province, Mr Souknasing said.
This new bus route is sure to become very popular as Loei, in the northernmost part of the Northeast region of Thailand, offers unique natural beauty and a cultural heritage not unlike that found in Xayaboury and Luang Prabang in the Lao PDR, according to reports made by Thai authorities to the Travel Daily News in Bangkok recently.
By linking these historic and picturesque regions, tourists and travellers have a new, affordable way of exploring some of Southeast Asia's cultural gems and what's more, they can do it with the utmost of convenience and comfort.
This bus route will provide seamless border travel and enhance trade and transportation between the people of Thailand and the citizens of the Lao PDR. It will also give international tourists more options for travelling, by providing a new border crossing between the two nations.
The Nalouang Transport Company has also provided services on other international routes between Luang Prabang and China and Vietnam.
There are currently many ways that travellers can move between Thailand and the Lao PDR, including by plane from Bangkok and Sukhothai in Thailand to Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Savannakhet or Pakxe in the Lao PDR.
vientiane times
