THAILAND, MYANMAR RENEW TOURISM PACT

Thailand and Myanmar have renewed their bilateral Tourism Co-operation pact by agreeing to a number of activities and projects that will vastly improve visitor flows to, between and within the two countries.

The agreement was signed in Yangon on September 2, 2000, by Myanmar’s Hotels and Tourism Minister H.E. Major General Saw Lwin and Thailand's Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office and Chairman of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, H.E. Mr. Adisai Bodharamik.

Mr. Adisai said, “This is not just a tourism agreement, but one that is designed to stimulate wider cultural exchanges, encourage international friendship and mutual understanding as well as promote the peaceful coexistence between the two countries.”

The new pact will see the two countries undertaking a series of co- operative tourism projects and assisting each other in other regional forums including ASEAN, the Greater Mekong Sub-region and the Great Wonders of Suwannaphumi Tourism Promotion Plan.

The main point of the agreement is that Thailand will offer Myanmar assistance in a number of marketing, product development and training areas in exchange for which Myanmar will move ahead with a number of long-delayed transportation and facilitation projects.

These include several cross-border air and road projects that can vastly facilitate general visitor traffic to both countries by linking major cities and secondary destinations, thus enhancing the attraction of visiting both countries and the region at large.

Mr. Adisai commented, “The easiest access to tourism destinations of the two countries is by air. We should therefore concentrate on the development of aviation infrastructure and air transportation linkages even as we move ahead with the overland highway routes.”

The Myanmar delegation informed the Thai delegation that the upcoming opening of a new international airport in Mandalay will significantly contribute to the expansion of aviation and the economy in the region.

Both sides agreed to develop three overland routes linking the western and northern provinces of Thailand with eastern cities of Myanmar. These include:

-- The Kanchanaburi - Dawei route (about 130 kms), which can benefit not only tourism flows, but also give Thai exporters better accessibility to the Deep-sea Port Project in Dawei, Myanmar.

-- The Mae Sot - Pha-an route (about 150 kms), which is in line with the East-West Corridor Development concept linking Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam;

-- The Tachilek - Kyaing Tong - Mongla route (about 250 kms), will link Thailand and Myanmar with China and generate tourist traffic from China to Myanmar and Thailand.

“The development of this transportation network will be supported by relaxation of entry formalities, designation of more border checkpoints and improvement of service and security for tourists,” added Mr Adisai.

In exchange, Thailand has offered Myanmar a number of areas in which it can help with tourism development, such as the inclusion of Myanmar in familiarisation trips for tour operators and travel writers, training programmes and scholarships, and technical assistance for development of tourism destinations, products and master plans.

“TAT will also help disseminate visitor information to those who wish to visit both Myanmar and Thailand,” said Mr Adisai. “This will help publicise tourism facilities of Myanmar in the international market.”

According to TAT Governor Mr. Pradech Phayakvichien, “Both Myanmar and Thailand are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as well as the Greater Mekong Sub-region, so the many new developments will foresee a very bright future for the tourism industry of not only both countries but also this region as a whole.”

The two ministers also agreed to set up an Implementation Technical Group (ITG) to work out the details and time frame of carrying out the various parts of the agreement.

The agreement also commits the two sides to removing impediments to tourism businesses and investment by facilitating the commercial activities of the private sector. Specifically, the pact commits Thailand and Myanmar “to cooperate and support the private sectors in their engagement in tourism businesses and investment.”

Mr Pradech added, “Myanmar and Thailand have a lot to gain from each other and we are working hard to ensure all parts of the agreement are fully and effectively implemented.”