LUANG NAMTHA, LAOS, 2 March 2012:
Luang Namtha province officials say the R3A highway has helped to generate more income for residents and improve the province’s economy since it opened in 2008.
The comments were made at a welcoming party for the Eco Bike Tour 2012 earlier this week.
Luang Namtha Provincial Tourism Department director, Phonesavath Kamonthong, said the Lao government’s policy to work with neighbours to build the economy would ultimately benefit tourism. But the challenge is to ensure that Laos earns revenue from overland tourism rather than becoming just a transport corridor between popular destinations like China and Thailand.|
He claimed the Eco Bike Tour 2012 would help to promote R3A route tourism between the two countries, although observers would acknowledge, so far, there has been very little overland tourism to talk about.
“R3A highway will help the province to embark on sustainable tourism,” he said , “through improved transport links.|
”The road, which was a rough dirt road for decades, has been opened for three years. But it has suffered abuse from over loaded lumber and heavy goods vehicle with sections already needing repairs. The promise of a strong tourism flow between Thailand and China via the R3A remains a dream, nurtured mainly be over enthusiastic tourism officials
But the tourism department chief remained optimistic in his welcome for the Tourism Authority of Thailand sponsored media and bike tour that rolled into town on its way to China.
“As the route passes through Luang Namtha it can only boost tourist arrivals and circulate more income to the province as well as support economic and trade benefits.”He thanked the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Eco Bike Tour for embarking on the survey of tourism products along the R3A route to test overland tourism feasibility.
“The Eco Bike Tour is a key factor that can promote the province and encourage international travellers to venture north to Luang Namtha,” he said.Tourism Authority of Thailand representative, Saksakul Supakritanan said: “R3A should expand opportunities for Thailand, Laos and China to build tourism corridors
.”Route R3A is part of the so-called North-South Economic Corridor linking Thailand with Laos and Xishuangbanna Prefecture in Yunnan province, Southern China.
The route should become more popular when the 4thThai-Laos Friendship Bridge is completed next year, although all three countries will need to work on ways to improve and encourage travel by speeding up procedures at the borders and easing regulations for self-drive cars and tour buses.Covering some 2,000 km, Route R3A starts in Chiang Rai province (Chiang Khong district) and links Bokeo, Luang Namtha, Boten in Laos, and Bohan, Jinghong, and Kunming in Yunnan, Southern China.Right now travellers can cross the Mekong River by ferry to join the R3A highway.
It takes a couple of hours to do the paper work and make the crossing.
The bridge will span the river between two districts; Chiang Khong in Chiang Rai province, Thailand and Huayxai in Bokeo province, Laos.Once open, it will be a little easier for travellers from Thailand to travel to Luang Namtha which is a 180 km north of Huay Xai, but it is an over simplification to believe that a bridge alone will act as massive economic catalyst to drive tourism growth between the three countries.
There are just too many other issues that will weigh heavily on travellers some related to red tape at borders and others related to tourist attraction, or rest area facilities on the 180 km road trip to Luang Namtha.
The fourth bridge is part of the Greater Mekong sub-region north-south economic corridor project. It will connect Donsavan village in Huay Xai district in Bokeo province with Ing village in Chiang Khong district of Thailand’s Chiang Rai province.The actual start of the R3A Highway is about 9 km from the bridge. The distance from Chiang Rai to Kunming is around 1,030 km.
