The governments of the Greater Mekong Subregion are posting strong increases in arrivals compared with arrivals during the same period last year, according to the Mekong Tourism Office. Cambodia, for example, logged an increase of 19.2 percent for the first six months of this year, compared with last year. Also posting a double-digit rate of increase is Lao PDR, which had a rise in international arrivals of 15 percent during the first four months of 2006 compared with 2005. Myanmar posted 7.3 percent growth the first half of the year, while Vietnam tallied 7 percent growth during the first seven months of 2006. China also reported an increase of 6.1 percent in international arrivals this year. Meanwhile, Thailand's increase of 47.5 percent during the first half of this year reflects the impact of the December 2004 tsunami on 2005 visitation.
