Laos, Thailand eye closer tourism links
Laos, Thailand eye closer tourism links
The development of closer tourism links to include a variety of activities in neighbouring countries would attract more visitors to the region, Lao and Thai tourism officials believe.
Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr Chaleune Warinthrasak, highlighted the issue in an interview with the Vientiane Times at the end of a familiarisation trip for Lao press in Koh Samui, Thailand, last w eekend.
“Tourism links between neighbouring countries will increase the number of visitors to both countries, as tourists would be able to enjoy a variety of attractions during the course of their holiday,” he said .
The trip to Koh Samui, which was co-organised by Bangkok Airways and the Tourism Authority of Thailand, took media representatives from Vientiane to visit various cultural and natural attractions on the island and enjoy swimming and climbing on the nearby islands of Koh Tao and Koh Nangyuan.
More than 1 million tourists visit Koh Samui every year with 90 percent of them coming from Europe.
Mr Chaleune, who led the Lao group, said their visit would help to promote tourism not only in Thailand but also in Laos, because Bangkok Airways transports tourists to and from Laos and Thailand.
“We have seen what their selling points are and now we need to look at what we can develop to highlight our uniqueness, as this will bring Thai visitors to Laos,” Mr Chaleune said.
According to an airline official, of the 27 daily flights from Bangkok to Koh Samui, 25 are operated by Bangkok Airways.
Director of the Ho Chi Minh City office for the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Ms Chutathip Chareonlarp, said the joint activity between the authority and Bangkok Airways was a good opportunity to advertise a top destination in Thailand to all Lao people who make trips across the border in northeastern Thailand.
It would encourage them to go further afield and see some of the more popular tourism destinations in Thailand.
It was also an opportunity to exchange information and learn from each other through the more convenient systems of travel within the Asean Community, she added.
Bangkok Airways launched daily direct flights between Bangkok and Vientiane in November last year after opening direct flights between Bangkok and Luang Prabang in 2001.
“We are confident we will be part of the private sector driving economic growth and tourism in Laos through our codeshare service with airline partners carrying passengers from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Vientiane,” said Vice President of Corporate Communications for Bangkok Airways, M.L. Nandhida Varavarn.
vientiane times
