Land transport has gained some long-overdue respect as of July 2005 with the coming into force of the Asian Highway agreement to link up 141,204 kilometres of roads and highways from Indonesia to Turkey.
Thailand will be a critical player in this highway network which will make it possible for people to drive from Singapore to Kunming, and from Yangon to Ho Chi Minh city, all via Thailand.
If low-cost airlines have made it possible for “everyone to fly,” boosting road and rail transport through the ASEAN and GMS regions will make it even more possible for everyone to travel.
Along with aviation and maritime linkages to airports and seaports, the end result will be an integrated, international, intermodal transport system that will facilitate the seamless movement of people and products through borders.
In April 2004, an international agreement was signed at the 60th economic summit of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) to complete the Asian Highway project. ESCAP officials estimate that the network is 83 per cent complete.
These highways will eventually become part of the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC) which will link the South China Sea with the Bay of Bengal, and the North-South Corridor which will link Singapore with Kunming.
These highways will go a long way towards helping tour operators open up new destinations and build fly, drive, air packages in one of the most exciting and unique parts of the world, with Thailand right in the middle.
In December 2005, a joint tourism caravan was organised between Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam for the first time to promote the Asian Highway routes.
The caravan, comprising of about 30 sedans and three passengers buses, was aimed at promoting tourism and cultural exchanges between the peoples of the three neighbouring countries.