Fruit tasting in Si Sa Ket
Spreading the benefits of tourism beyond major destinations to Thailand’s Northeast region is a government priority and part of a long-term project to correct an economic imbalance between regions.
Tourists gravitate to beach resorts and popular city destinations famous for shopping, but the Northeast region tends to welcome just a few hardy repeat visitors, who want to explore the more traditional layers of Thai culture and the genuine friendliness that prospers in rural communities.
It’s a region ideal for leisurely self-drive car holidays along quiet rural highways. There are opportunities to explore Isan lifestyle, heritage, Khmer history, Buddhist meditation and the natural beauty of national parks in the Mekong River basin. There is an abundance of hospitable guest houses and resorts where there is no need to book ahead, except possibly in major towns.
S
i Sa Ket at first might be an unlikely candidate standing between Surin with its famous elephant villages and Ubon the gateway to southern Laos and Mekong River attractions. But it is gaining attention, too, for its tropical fruits and there is an open invitation, this month and next, to visit orchards for a “tasting party.”
You might suggest that Si Sa Ket is emulating the vineyards of Europe, where “tasting” sessions are a tradition that attracts thousands of tourists every year. The difference here is that visitors to Si Sa Ket are building a tradition as fruit tasting is definitely a very recent addition to the province’s tourism portfolio and a little rough at the edges.
T
he initial target for the tasting ventures were Thai visitors, who know their fruits and the province was keen to show it had the quality and taste to match any of the eastern seaboard provinces recognised as premium fruit growing areas.
Fruit grower honed in on the district of Amphoe Kantaralak where some 5 km off Highway 226 a 20-km lane cuts a path through an abundance of fruit orchard villages. They are famed for premium fruit such as the rambutan, longan, and mangosteen.
In the northeast, a region dominated by rice cultivation and cattle farms, the fruit orchards of Kantaralak are a new development, but it has not taken long for villagers to recongise their impromptu fruit tasting sessions are just the ticket for tourists too.
Fruit tasting excursions start in Si Sa Ket town and take visitors to Kantaralak where they can visit orchards, learn about the growing techniques and also taste fresh fruit right off the trees. The trip costs Bt150 per visit to for any orchard in Srisaket and is available in June through to August.
Also, June is the month when orchard owners display their fruits in a grand sale at Kantaralak and Khun Harn villages, Si Sa Ket, while the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Si Sa Ket provincial tourism offices invite visitors to “enjoy and taste delicious fruits” from 18 to 24 June at the Si Sa Ket Provincial Hall courtyard and Samtarom Agricultural Garden.
The festival called “Rambutan-Durian Fruit Fair” is hosted by Si Sa Ket to increase awareness of the province’s fruits industry and also to encourage more tourism.
During the festival, agricultural products are on display at stalls alongside the most famous fruits such as durian, mangosteen, and longan.
Other activities include a fruit float parade and contests to select the best farm produce as well as demonstrations of cooking, dancing and the province’s very own beauty contest.
