Colors and textures

In mid-September 2023, Quang Tri province organized the 2023 Tourism Caravan Program with the theme "Colors of Quang Tri" and the Quang Tri (Vietnam) - Laos - Thailand Tourism Connection Workshop. This practical and concrete activity aimed to introduce tourism products, tours, and routes, and to sign agreements to strengthen tourism cooperation and exchange tours and routes between the Quang Tri tourism industry and tourism and travel companies from Laos and the northeastern provinces of Thailand, as well as to maximize the potential and advantages of the East-West Economic Corridor.

Opening up tourism opportunities from Laos and Thailand.

The Caravan program involved more than 80 participating units, including nearly 40 guests from leading travel businesses in Laos and Thailand.

Caravan tours are a popular choice for many tourists in Thailand - Photo: D.V.

The organizers supported the tour groups in exploring destinations that bear the distinctive mark and color of Quang Tri, such as the La Vang Marian Pilgrimage Center - the largest pilgrimage center for Catholics in Vietnam. This is also a Quang Tri tourist destination that attracts many domestic and international visitors.

The group also participated in the night tour program "Visiting Quang Tri Ancient Citadel and paying tribute to the heroic martyrs at the lantern-releasing dock on the Thach Han River".

This program has made a strong impression on international tourists, with many finding it exciting to visit and explore the ancient citadel at night for the first time.

As part of the program, the delegation continued to visit several historical sites in the province, including: the special national historical site of Hien Luong - Ben Hai; the special national historical site of Vinh Moc Tunnels; and the Gio An ancient well system.

Additionally, during the tour, many members of the delegation experienced and took souvenir photos at Fidel Park, Dakrong Suspension Bridge, Lao Bao International Border Gate, Cua Viet Beach Tourist Area, and visited flower gardens and wind power projects in Huong Hoa district.

At the subsequent workshop, in order to promote tourism development cooperation between Quang Tri (Vietnam) and localities in Laos and Thailand, the Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Center and the Quang Tri Provincial Tourism Association signed a memorandum of understanding to promote and link tourism tours with the Tourism, Trade and Industry Association of Northeast Thailand (ITITA) and the Savannakhet Provincial Travel Association.

This program has attracted the interest of many businesses from Laos and Thailand who want to learn about the culture, history, and ecotourism in the province, especially beach tourism.

At the workshop, representatives from the Quang Tri Provincial Tourism Association shared and introduced the potential and strengths of destinations in the province, especially showcasing some sample tour programs such as "Experience the Quang Tri Sea" on weekends or "3-day, 2-night tour programs" to promote and connect with businesses in Laos and Thailand to attract tourists and stimulate international tourism.

In addition, during the survey trip, representatives from several travel businesses in Laos and Thailand expressed their wishes, suggestions, and feedback aimed at improving the quality and diversifying the tourism products that Quang Tri province has recently launched.

As the gateway to Vietnam, Quang Tri has the honor of representing the central provinces, showcasing to friends near and far its rich cultural identity, revolutionary traditions, tourism products, potential, and advantages. Visitors can stop in Quang Tri to immerse themselves in the magnificent scenery of forests, seas, sacred spiritual sites, and vibrant cultural festivals.

Strengthening cooperation between the parties.

The East-West Economic Corridor plays a crucial role in the strategy of linking localities in the four countries that directly benefit from the Mekong Subregion. Governments along the East-West Economic Corridor prioritize economic and cultural exchanges, particularly considering the development of trade, services, and tourism as both drivers and goals in their development strategies.

Hien Luong Bridge is an indispensable stop for Thai tourists when visiting Quang Tri - Photo: D.V.

Despite numerous efforts by localities and stakeholders, cooperation in tourism development along this corridor in general, and cooperation and linkages between tourism and travel agencies in Quang Tri and those in Laos and Thailand in particular, are still not commensurate with the potential and strengths of each locality and region. Especially, tourism cooperation and linkages have been almost completely disrupted and broken after more than two years since the COVID-19 pandemic.

In order to strengthen the linkage and cooperation in tourism development between Quang Tri and Laos and the Northeast region of Thailand in the coming time, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Hoang Nam suggested that the Tourism Associations and Travel Agencies of the provinces in Laos and the Northeast region of Thailand pay attention to and strengthen connections to bring tourists to the beaches and typical tourist destinations of Quang Tri province.

Conversely, the Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee suggested that Quang Tri province's travel companies focus on connecting with travel partners in Laos and Northeast Thailand to exchange tourists, contributing to mutual benefits for all parties, and developing local tourism and socio-economic development. The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Quang Tri Tourism Association should regularly update and supplement unique tourism products and announce tourism stimulus programs to domestic and international travel companies...

Ms. Vilayvanh Chanthavong, President of the Savannakhet Provincial Tourism Association, Laos, expressed her agreement with the potential and opportunities for tourism cooperation between Quang Tri - Savannakhet and the northeastern provinces of Thailand.

“Quang Tri has a beautiful coastline and abundant seafood. The distance from Savannakhet province to Quang Tri is quite short, so Lao tourists can easily depart on Saturday to Quang Tri to swim, eat seafood, visit some places, and return on Sunday. In fact, many tourist groups from our province now drive their own cars to Quang Tri for sightseeing. Conversely, tourists from Quang Tri in particular, and Vietnam in general, can also visit many places in Savannakhet, including the Ho Chi Minh Memorial Area. I hope that after this program, tourism businesses in both provinces will promote more effective tourist exchanges,” Ms. Vilayvanh Chanthavong shared.

Removing obstacles related to traffic and immigration procedures.

Several "bottlenecks" related to left-hand drive vehicles or inadequacies in immigration procedures have prevented the effectiveness of tourism development cooperation between the parties in recent times from achieving commensurate results.

Former Deputy Director of the Department of Transport, Nguyen Duc Ha, outlined the current situation and solutions to address the obstacles faced by right-hand drive vehicles from Thailand entering tourist destinations in Quang Tri province.

According to Mr. Ha, through field surveys and work with the Mukdahan Provincial Government Committee (Thailand), there is a huge demand for caravan tours using private vehicles from Thailand (Mukdahan province and other provinces in the far-off Northeast region) to tourist destinations, historical and cultural sites in Quang Tri province, especially for island and coastal tourism through the "One Day, Three Countries" tour.

To meet these requirements, the transportation sector is crucial. Mr. Ha informed that the Ministry of Transport is currently seeking opinions on the draft decree to replace the decrees regulating right-hand drive vehicles in Vietnam. This adjustment and replacement will address many important issues and resolve current shortcomings.

“Northeast Thailand has no coastline, so tourists tend to go on beach holidays and enjoy seafood on weekends. Quang Tri will be the first choice for our tourists. Similarly, tourists from Vietnam can visit and shop in the provinces of Udon, Khon Kaen, and Korat in Northeast Thailand. Our region has many border crossings, and both Laos and Quang Tri also have many border crossings for transportation connections. Therefore, I think that if the roads are convenient and customs procedures are quick, more tourists from Thailand and Laos will come to Quang Tri's beaches to have fun and eat on weekends.”

Mr. Sajja Wongkittithon, Vice President of the Northeast Thailand Tourism, Trade and Industry Association.

Expecting solutions from the Vietnamese Ministry of Transport, Ms. Vilayvanh Chanthavong, President of the Savannakhet Provincial Tourism Association, and Mr. Sajja Wongkittithon, Vice President of ITITA, both share the view that if the obstacles and difficulties regarding immigration procedures, transportation, and maximizing convenience for caravan tourism are resolved, then cooperation in tourism development between Quang Tri, Laos, and the northeastern provinces of Thailand will certainly flourish in the near future.

Continue to strengthen tourism connections.

According to Nguyen Duc Tan, Director of the Quang Tri Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Center, the 2023 Tourism Caravan Program and the Quang Tri (Vietnam) - Laos - Thailand Tourism Connection Workshop have achieved positive results.

This program contributes to promoting and widely publicizing the typical destinations of Quang Tri province to tourists from Laos and the Northeast region of Thailand, focusing on those who use land tours (tours organized by travel companies to serve the same customer, aiming to optimize benefits for all parties and save costs for customers) through the Lao Bao International Border Gate.

At the same time, it was affirmed that Quang Tri is an attractive destination for Vietnamese historical tourism and island and coastal tourism along the East-West Economic Corridor. Therefore, the center will continue to strengthen the connection between Quang Tri tourism and tourism in Laos and Thailand; and raise awareness among the community and tourism businesses in Quang Tri to adapt to Lao and Thai tourists in the new phase.

Tourists take souvenir photos at Cua Viet Beach Service and Tourism Area - Photo: D.V.

"Immediately after participating in the program, Lao and Thai travel agencies opened tours to Quang Tri, visiting typical tourist destinations in Quang Tri or staying in Quang Tri before starting tours to Hue and Da Nang, which they had previously only passed through."

"The media products disseminated through the Caravan program were shared by travel agencies with the tourism communities of Laos and Thailand, and received enthusiastic responses from many interested individuals and organizations," Mr. Tan said.

Duc Viet

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/kinh-te/caravan-du-lich-nam-2023-sac-mau-va-dau-an/182477.htm