Thailand's Best Tourism Routes 2016 awarded

BANGKOK, February 1 (TNA) - Seven best Thai tourism routes 2016 have been awarded, including those for natural tourism, community tourism and cultural tourism routes. Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkura presided over a ceremony in Bangkok on Wednesday to present the awards. The awarded routes for the natural tourism categorial prize include a learning route of a royally-initiated project in Petchaburi Province in the Upper Thai South, a dragon spine route, a miracle of sand dunes of the Andaman Sea in Trang and Satun Provinces in the Thai Far South and a mineral bath route in Ranong Province, also in the Thai South. The awarded two best community tourism routes include DIY (Do It Yourself) with communities in Chantaburi and Trat Provinces in the Thai East and an Andaman cultural community route in Krabi Province in the Thai South. The awarded best two cultural tourism routes include a Lanna handcrafts route in Chiang Mai, Lamphun and Lampang Provinces in the Thai North and a diversity of Isan route in Si Sa Ket and Ubon Ratchathani Provinces in the Thai Northeast. The minister said the awarding committee has selected the best seven routes out of the country's total 17 routes in five tourism development zones, which displayed excellent potential, clear identity, readiness in utilities, excellent hosting skills and best coordination between the local public and private sectors in line with the Thai government's policy on linking tourism between major and minor cities. (TNA)