Promoting Tourism Cooperation in Border Cities Along the Nong Khai–Laos Corridor: A Case Study of the 21st Century Belt and Road Initiative
Keywords:
belt and road initiative, border tourism, tourism cooperationAbstract
This study aims to: 1) examine the context and constraints of border tourism development in the Nong Khai–Laos area; and 2) analyze approaches to promoting tourism cooperation in border cities along the Nong Khai–Laos corridor under the 21st Century Belt and Road Initiative. A qualitative research methodology was employed in conjunction with the Ethnographic Delphi Futures Research (EDFR) technique. Data were collected from 22 key informants representing the public sector, private sector, academia, and local communities in the study area. The research instrument was validated using the Index of Item-Objective Congruence (IOC), and data were analyzed using the median, mode, and interquartile range. The findings indicate that: 1) Nong Khai possesses strong potential for development as a border tourism city, particularly in terms of cultural identity, local lifestyle, transportation connectivity, and its strategic role at the regional level. Nevertheless, several constraints persist, including limitations in infrastructure development, destination image communication, and participatory mechanisms at the local level. The study also proposes a model for promoting border tourism in the Nong Khai–Laos area through the conceptualization of the Naga myth landscape as a distinctive cultural tourism asset; 2) The promotion of tourism cooperation should be pursued through seven key dimensions: (1) policy and strategic planning; (2) cooperation and partnerships; (3) infrastructure and logistics; (4) marketing and public relations; (5) management and integration; (6) community capacity development; and (7) monitoring and evaluation. The first four dimensions were evaluated as “most suitable”, while the remaining three were rated as “suitable”, reflecting expert consensus and demonstrating the applicability of these dimensions as a strategic framework for the sustainable development of border cities.
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