Fourth Mekong Bridge delays
January 10, 2012 by TTRweekly Staff
Filed under Mekong Region
VIENTIANE, 10 January 2012: The fourth Friendship Bridge that will link Laos and Thailand across the Mekong River will open in 2013 a year behind schedule, officials supervising the project confirmed last week.
“The bridge should open in 2012, but work has been delayed slightly due to project financing that slowed down after the global financial crisis,” the 4th Mekong River Bridge Construction Project deputy head, Thavone Vorabouth told Vientiane Times.
The bridge will span the river between two districts; Chiang Khong in Chiang Rai province, Thailand and Huayxai in Bokeo province, Laos.
Nan the hard way to Laos
September 1, 2011 by Rapeepat Mantanarat
Filed under News, Thailand
BANGKOK, 1 September 2011 – Nan province in North Thailand aims to promote travel to neighbouring Laos and even to Vietnam as part of a long-term strategy to build gateway tourism.
But officials insist they are not interested in turning the mountainous province, bordering Laos, into a transit zone with little or no benefits for local communities.
“We need to focus on gaining a two-night stay from tourists before they move on,” explains Nan Tourism Business Association president, Utai Tantrakul, who acknowledges the highway link to Luang Prabang is going to be a big draw card for Nan in the future. Read more
Sihanoukville accident highlights risks
PHNOM PENH, 7 March 2011 – Nineteen people were killed and at least seven others seriously injured Friday in one of Cambodia’s worst-ever traffic accidents, police said.
The head-on crash happened when a truck slammed into a van packed with passengers in the popular southern beach town of Sihanoukville, popular with international tourists.
“There are 19 dead at the scene,” Sihanoukville traffic police chief Prum Pov told AFP.
Trat develops gateway options
November 8, 2010 by Rapeepat Mantanarat
Filed under News
BANGKOK, 8 November 2010 – Road improvements between Thailand’s eastern seaboard and southern Cambodia should help to turn Trat province into a gateway to the Mekong Region, Trat Tourism Association president, Charuwan Chintakanont, reported over the weekend.
Also, a new Bangkok Airways service, due to launch 2 December, will transfer tourists from Phuket to Trat province for the first time, a move that could lift business prospects for overland travel to Cambodia.
Private company hits a bus snag
October 22, 2010 by Rapeepat Mantanarat
Filed under Mekong Region
BANGKOK, 22 October 2010 – A Nakhon Phanom-based company will not be able to operate an international bus service to neighbouring Laos and Vietnam due to a Ministry of Transport rule that reserves international bus services to state enterprise companies.
The company announced, earlier this month, that it was ready to start a service once the third Mekong bridge, 6 km north of Nakhon Phanom, opens late next year. However, days after the announcement the company admitted it faced opposition from the Ministry of Transport.
Overland tourism in spotlight
March 3, 2010 by Chanida Sa-ngiamphaisalsuk
Filed under News
Thailand and Yunnan province in China have agreed to establish a joint tourism working group.
