It’s always top on the agenda for Kunming to enhance tourism development and cooperation along Kun-Man Road (Kunming-Bangkok Road) as part of its Southeast Asia-oriented inbound tours. In the past couple of years, Kunming Tourism Bureau (KMTB) organized inspections on tour routes along Kun-Man Road. Negotiations on tourism cooperation and promotion have been initiated with tourism administrations and travel businesses of Thailand and Laos, and some consensuses have been achieved.

Thai visitors to Yunnan’s Xishuangbanna (Banna) by landway have been on the rise in recent years. As a tourist destination abounding with rich tourism resources, Kunming appeals much to Thai visitors. How to extend the tour northwards Kunming from Banna remains the major task of Kunming’s tour promoting. Yunnan Provincial Transportation Department has ratifies Yunnan Int’l Tourism Distribution Center, organizing routine buses from Kunming to Thailand’s Chiang Mai (Two runs a day); meanwhile, China Eastern Airline has opened flights to Chiang Mai from Kunming (Two flights a week). Simply put, tourism cooperation and development along Kun-Man Road has made its first step. A 65-pax inspection & promotion group supported by Thai Nat’l Tourism Administration started its journey from Chiang Mai, and visited Banna and Pu’er of Yunnan Province. The group is made up of tourism officials, travel services, tour association and news media from Thailand and Laos. It spared three days for Kunming (Sep 25th to 27th) as an event of KMTB’s plan to invite global travel businesses for tourism inspection. The group visited the Stone Forest and Luosiwan Int’l Trade Town in Kunming and the World Dinosaur Valley in Chuxiong Prefecture between Kunming and Dali.

On Sep 25th, a conversazione was jointly held by KMTB and the Inspection & Promotion Group in Jinjiang Int’l Hotel (Kunming), with approximately 30 participants. Kunming introduced its abundant resources for sightseeing and leisure tours, whilst Thailand highlighted its north 17 provinces and Laos stressed its Bokeo Province. The three parties deepened the knowledge on the tour resources, products and routes along Kun-Man Road, and also talked about the barrier-free tour routes, thus improving the mutual understanding and friendship. It’s agreed that Kun-Man Tour Route, involving many cities of Thailand, Laos and Yunnan (China), has developed with it convenient traffic systems and complete infrastructures, and exhibits abundant and complimentary tourism resources; objective and subjective conditions have been available to form Kun-Man tour route at full tilt. Consensuses have been reached on deepening tourism promotion, actively cultivating tourist markets, and seeking omni-bearing and multi-level cooperation. Great confidence has also been gained for Kun-Man Golden Tour Route.