A Road Trip From India To Thailand In A Caravan May Soon Be Possible, Says Thailand Tourism

Thailand has always held an undeniable allure for Indian tourists. Be it the serene beaches, tranquil temples or electrifying nightlife, that you head to the country for; air travel was the only way to go. Well, not anymore!

You might soon be able to take an RV or charming caravan on the road trip of a lifetime all the way to Thailand. Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) announced that they’re in talks with our government to facilitate caravan travel for Indian tourists to the Southeast Asian country.

Isra Stapanaseth, director of TAT, announced the initiative on a recent visit to India, reports HT. He revealed that the travel route is to be the Trilateral Highway. The road that shall connect Moreh in Manipur with Mae Sot in Thailand and is currently under construction. The highway is said to be 1,360 km and is estimated to be ready by 2020.

“We get a large number of tourists from India every year. We are in talks with the Indian government to allow road travel, especially in caravans from Manipur to Thailand. We want to give a boost to caravan tourism between the two countries,” Isra said.

Stapanaseth spoke of how Indian tourists boosted the economy of Thailand via tourism as well as shopping when in the country.

“In the past few years, we have seen an increase of 23% in the number of Indian tourists coming to Thailand. In 2018, 1.6 lakh Indians visited the country. Almost 25% of the revenue that we get from Indian tourists is from the shopping they do when they visit Thailand,” Stapanaseth revealed.

TAT is reportedly attempting to entice a new age group of Indians to visit. Their observations suggest that the elderly visit, to soak in the culture and Thai food. On the other hand, the youth seeks to party.

“Most of the Indian tourists that visit us are from the working age, that is, 25-50 years. We are now trying to target the senior citizens to come and visit out country as they not only have more time, but also more spending capacity,” Stapanaseth said.

“The senior travellers want to have a local and community-based experience of the country and this is also the present area of focus for TAT,” Stapanaseth added.

We can’t wait till it’s official to load up the caravan! Can you?