East-West economic corridor links Indochina

East-West Economic Corridor Links Indochina

Thailand, Burma, Laos and Vietnam

Private tourism operators are being urged to prepare for an influx of foreign tourists as the East-West Economic Corridor linking Burma, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam approaches completion, reported Bangkok Post Newspaper recently. The economic corridor is created based on a road of 1,450 km with the west end at the port city of Mawlamyine (Burma), crossing Kayin Division, the Thai provinces of Tak, Sukhothai, Kalasin, Phitsanulok, Khon Kaen, Yasothon, Mukdahan and the Laotian provinces of Savannakhet, Vietnamese provinces of Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue Province and Da Nang city as the east end.

Experts suggested that the Thai government should use the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) forum to be held early next year in Bangkok to convince Laos and Vietnam to adopt a single visa. The procedure would help encourage foreign tourists who travel to the three countries. Thailand currently only has a single-visa program with Cambodia.

According to the Tourism and Sports Ministry of Thailand.The number of intra-Asean tourists is expected to double to as many as 60 million a year when all 10 members of the group make visa-free travel fully available by 2010, Asean members have set 2010 as the deadline for allowing nationals of all 10 countries to travel without visas in the region. They aim to follow that with a single pan-Asean visa for visitors from other parts of the world. For example, durrently Thai citizens do not need visas for travelling to other Asean countries, with the exception of Burma and Cambodia.

Expected improvements in:

Infrastructure should be improved along the route of the East-West Economic Corridor. Each country was urged to upgrade local tourism sites along the route. Improved land transport would encourage more intra-Asean travel. Work is proceeding on road links including a northern route from southern China, through Laos via Thailand and Malaysia, and an east-west corridor from Burma via Thailand and Laos to Vietnam.

Asean is moving to liberalise the services trade in the tourism industry. Member countries want to free up labor movement in six sectors including reception, housekeeping, food and beverage, transport and tour operators.

Each nation would need to establish a national tourism institute to improve personnel skills.

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