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New travel route to lure Thai visit



Subject: New travel route to lure Thai visitors 



February 25, 1999 
BURMA
New travel route to lure Thai visitors
Adventure trail from Mae Sot to Rangoon

Supamas Kasem 
Tak 

Burma has launched a new tourist route from Mae Sot in a bid to lure Thai
tourists to experience the adventure of life on the Asian Highway to Rangoon.

The trip has been offered by the Burmese government in a package tour to allow
Thai tourists to enter its country by border pass instead of applying for a
visa, said Paniti Tungphati, president of the Tak Chamber of Commerce.

The provincial trade body has facilitated at least three trips since the debut
in November and Mr Paniti showed optimism that more would be arranged to
meet a
growing demand.

The programme starts at Mae Sot, crossing the Thai-Burmese Friendship Bridge
reopened last year to Myawaddy to begin the journey on the Asian Highway in
Burma. The road was a strategic route for Japan to mobilise its soldiers and
arms in the Second World War in a bid to control Burma.

Key attractions on the six-day trip include Pegu, the ancient Burmese capital
during the reign of King Bayinnaung in 1010; Moulmein, the capital of Mon
State, and Rangoon.

Shorter programmes are being planned from Mae Sot to Pa-an and Moulmein with
river cruising and rafting the main activities for the two-day trip, Mr Paniti
added.

Burma is renovating the highway and constructing bridges across the Gyaing
River due for completion this year. The improved road will halve the trip from
Mae Sot to the Burmese capital to less than 10 hours.
The newly-promoted programme will directly benefit Mae Sot to be another
starting point for Thai tourists travelling to Burma - in addition to its role
as a key trade outlet between Thailand and Burma.

To fully utilise the strategic location for tourism, he suggested the Thai
government open the border here for Burmese tourists who want to visit Bangkok
and other attractions in the country.

"Many affluent Burmese want to visit temples especially the Grand Palace in
Bangkok and other tourist spots such as Cha-am, Hua Hin and Phuket but they
cannot because the Thai government does not allow them to start the trip from

the border," he said.

"The country is losing an opportunity to attract Burmese tourists in the
Amazing Thailand years," he added.

Opening the border at Mae Sot is part of Rangoon's plan to promote the trip to
Burma by road. It has already opened the road from Mae Sai, Chiang Rai, to
Tachilek and Keng Tung. 

The Burmese government plans to open three more routes from the border
opposite
Chiang Dao district in Chiang Mai to Mandalay and from Khun Yuam district in
Mae Hong Son to the capital of Kayah State in Loikaw and the Three Pagodas
pass
in Kanchanaburi to Moulmein.


© Copyright The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. 1999
Last Modified: Thu, Feb 25, 1999
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