Tad Pha Suam Warterfall in Champasak Province (southwest of Laos)

Route 8 links Nakhon Phanom in Thailand with Khammouane in Laos. It then links to Route 12 in Laos which continues to Dong Hoi in Vietnam and then China.  Route 9 links Mukdahan (Thailand) via Savannakhet (Laos) to Danang (Vietnam). Therefore, Laos is the best location for creating a link with four countries: Thailand, Myanma, Vietnam, and China. If the roads in Laos can be connected, people can easily travel to all five countries in the region. And it was found that travelling through Laos will be the shortest way. On the other hand, both Route 8 and Route 12 have good potential for eco-tourism since they have given the number of caves, waterfalls and other tourist attractions along the way.

Mr. Vitavas said he hopes that when the third Thai-Lao Bridge across the Mekong River intend to open in November 2011, linking Nakhon Phanom (Thailand) and Khammouane (Laos), it will help facilitate more tourism and trade on Route 8.

Phong Nha - Ke Bang Cave (Quang Binh)

At the summit preparatory conference for the provinces using both Route 8 and Route 12 which took place in end of August 2010 in Dong Hoi (Quang Binh), representatives of provinces of Quang Binh, Nghe An, Ha Tinh from Vietnam, Bolikhamsai and Khammouane from Laos, Nakhom Phanom, Sakon Nakhom, Nongkhai from Thailand, two observe provinces of Quang Tri (Vietnam) and Savanankhet (Laos) has given a number of strategies to enhance effective cooperation and potential exploitation of provinces that use two above routes.

According to Mr. Vitavas, the strategy for tourism promotion should include a common market with three to five countries treated as one destination. As well, it is also important to develop the human resources, encourage cross-border facilitation, private-sector participation and tourism-related infrastructure. To promote tourism in the region, there should be a single visa and organize package tours which tourists can visit many Asian countries at one time to save costs, he adds.

To accomplish this project, Mr. Vitavas urges the Greater Mekong Subregion members - Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and southern China - to enhance co-operation in tourism. Better joint co-operation of tourism is a good way to generate economic impetus and help alleviate poverty that is still prevalent in countries in the region, he adds.