Caravan Tourists From Thailand On The Rise

[george]

Caravan tourists from Thailand on the rise

VietNamNet Bridge – A group of 100 vehicles carrying Thai caravan tourists will come to the central city of Da Nang on the occasion of the Huu Nghi Bridge inauguration – the opening of the East-West Economic Corridor.

The Huu Nghi Bridge, which connects Thailand’s Mukdakhan province and Laos’ Savanakhet, will be inaugurated on December 20, officially opening the East-West Economic Corridor (EWC). The route connects Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. The Da Nang tourism department and travel companies are hectically preparing to welcome caravan tourists who will come to Da Nang after the bridge is launched.

According to Thai Ba Canh, Deputy Director of the Da Nang Tourism Department, in 2006, the number of tourists that have come to Da Nang as part of caravan tours has seen a sharp increase, at 20,000, or five fold the figure from last year. Analysts have anticipated the boom of travellers from the northeast of Thailand and caravan tourists from foreign countries who will travel to Vietnam overland through Thailand.

A caravan tour going from Thai to Laos and then to Vietnam which consists of 100 vehicles will go through the Lao Bao border gate in Quang Tri province before arriving in Da Nang on December 23. The Vietnam Tourism Company Da Nang Branch (Vitours) will organise a cultural exchange between the city’s leadership, travel companies in the city and the caravan tourists.

This is expected to be a good opportunity for Vietnamese travel companies to kick start the tour, ‘taking meal in three countries in one day’.

The Huu Nghi bridge inauguration ceremony will be held by the States of Laos and Thailand on December 20, on the occasion of the 61st anniversary of Laos National Day.

Savannakhet Mayor Vilay Vanphomkhe said that with the launching of Huu Nghi Bridge, the EWC linking northeastern provinces of Thailand, the central region of Laos, central provinces of Vietnam, including Quang Tri and Thua Thien- Hue, and Da Nang would be in place. He said the bridge would kick start trade and tourism activities in the economic corridor.

Da Nang and Savannakhet have signed eight memoranda of understanding (MOU) on accelerating cooperation in many fields, especially in tourism and trade. Under the spirit of the MOUs, Da Nang has assisted Savannakhet province in many projects on sports, agriculture and transportation worth VND5.1bil ($0.31mil).

When asked about increasing tourism opportunities with the inauguration of Huu Nghi Bridge, Duong Thi Tho, Head of the Travel Management Division under the Da Nang Tourism Department, said that the city would see caravan tourism boom in the coming time. Despite Typhoon Xangsane in early October, more than 2,000 caravan tourists arrived in Da Nang through the Lao Bao border gate.

-- Hai Chau, VN, 2006-12-11

[Chang_paarp]

Please don't tell me they are going to add mobile chicanes (caravans) to Thai roads. They are dangerous enough without this.

Edit spelling

Edited December 12, 2006 by Chang_paarp

[PeaceBlondie]

Are these 'caravans' the huge, modern, double-decker buses that clog the streets of Hua Hin and Chiang Mai? You can barely get past them, coming the other way. They must weigh 798 tons. Even if roads in northeastern Thailand can handle their width and weight, I wonder about Laos and Vietnam's roads.

Three countries in one day! I did that in central America on VIP buses, and it's fine when the tour operator and all the border crossing officials do it effortlessly. I never got out of the bus, just handed my passport to the pretty lass who served us free soft drinks.

[astral]

I thought they were talking about one of these.

As I understand it the Road Transport Dept does not licence trailed vehicles like these.

[wpcoe]

Growing up in America in the 50s and 60s, this is what a caravan was to me:

Now, I think most Americans would think of camels or a Dodge vehicle called the Caravan?

Let's not hope herds of camels are descending on Da Nang! Imagine the cleanup behind them...

[onlooker]

I think you'll find that in this case, the term 'caravan' means a group of blokes in new pick up trucks, Landrovers & Land Cruisers and has nothing at all to do with camels, or portable houses.

[The Philosopher]

http://www.leics.gov.uk/index/business/com..._travellers.htm

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