Chiang Mai looks forward to hosting 9th Mekong Tourism Forum

About 150 delegates will be participating in the 9th Mekong Tourism Forum (MTF) to be held for the first time in the northern capital of Chiang Mai between March 26 - 28.

The event comprises a one-day meeting of national tourism organisations of the Greater Mekong Subregion countries (Myanmar, Lao PDR, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Yunnan Province of China) followed by a two-day interactive conference at which industry experts will discuss emerging tourism developments and strategies based on the theme “Protect, Position and Promote”.

Designed to raise the profile of one of the world’s fastest growing tourism regions, the event was first organised in Pattaya in 1996 and has since been rotated through the various GMS cities, including Kunming, Ho Chi Minh City, Vientiane, Phnom Penh and Yangon.

International agencies involved in the events are the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Agency for Coordinating Mekong Tourism Activities (AMTA).

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor, Mrs. Juthamas Siriwan said, “The events provide good opportunities to showcase Mekong products, services and emerging attractions. They will go a long way towards further establishing the city known as the ‘Rose of the North’ as a major bridgehead for travel and tourism to the Mekong countries.”

She said it ties in well with the policy of the Thai government to develop Chiang Mai into a major northern hub of aviation and tourism.

This year’s MTF is particularly important because 2004 marks the 10th anniversary of the opening of the first Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge across the Mekong River on April 8, 1994.

It was that event which set into motion the many policy changes and billions of dollars worth of infrastructure projects which have helped facilitate trade, travel and transportation throughout the GMS countries.

Today, a number of bridges have emerged across the Mekong River, and more are coming up. Airline linkages are growing, and the first public bus service is about to start between Thailand and Lao PDR. 

In addition to contributing to the social, economic and cultural integration of the region, the roads, airports, ports and waterways will allow the private sector to package superb fly-drive-cruise-rail packages through some of the most exotic regions in the world.

There is great promise and potential for promotion of tourism along the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC), the network of highways which will link the South China Sea with the Bay of Bengal, and the North-South Corridor which will link Singapore with Kunming.

Both ADB and ESCAP are helping extensively with the development of hardware and software related to these highways.

The 9th MTF in Chiang Mai will be the first of two important marketing events to be organised by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in Thailand this year.

The 27th Annual PATA Travel Mart will be held in Bangkok during September 22-24, 2004 at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC). TAT will amalgamate its annual Thailand Travel Mart (TTM) into the PATA mart, making it even bigger. The PATA Board of Directors will also meet between September 24 – 26, 2004 in Bangkok.

Soon after the MTF, Chiang Mai will come alive with a major festival that will combine the cultural heritage of Thailand’s popular Songkran (Thai New Year) Festival with the historic heritage of its ancient Lanna Kingdom, during which Chiang Mai was founded.

The “Grand Lanna Civilisation, Songkran Festival” is being organised  by TAT in Chiang Mai during April 2-15, 2004 and will feature a colourful array of cultural shows, music festivals, shopping and food fairs.