Sister cities, Ranong-Penang, to promote exchanged-tourism

RANONG, THAILAND, November 16 (TNA) - The business sector of Thailand's southern resort Ranong province and Malaysia's northern Penang state have initially agreed on tourism links under their established "sister cities" status. Sonchai Uitekkeng, chair of Ranong's tourism business operators, who is also Vice President of the Regional Tourists Business Federation of Thailand, told reporters on Friday that the new bilateral accord on tourism links is on top of a previous agreement on joint development in the education sector between the sisters' cities, through Pichai Rattankarn School in Ranong and Penang Free School in Penang, which was a fundamental base of expanding cooperation between both sides. Under the initial agreement on tourism, Ranong and Penang will link and jointly promote their natural tourist attractions, namely warm springs and spas for health to boost tourism-related businesses of both sides and to meet international travellers'changing demand for more natural tourist destinations to save their money. The two sister cities have had a long standing business relationship, tracing all the way back to the time of Ranong's first ruler. Besides, most buildings of the two sisters cities are similar in the Sino-Portuguese style. (TNA)