Representatives of Chiang Rai's business community plan to ask the government to ease cross-border travel regulations at a planned mobile cabinet meeting next Monday and Tuesday.
Pornthep Inthachai, president of the Chiang Rai Chamber of Commerce, said authorities should review and revise regulations that are impeding the region's economic growth, especially now that the necessary infrastructure has been built.
Among the regulations that needs to be reviewed is the one on cross-border travel by foreign tourists, especially from China, he said. Mr Pornthep also called for the set-up of a one-stop service centre in the border district of Chiang Khong.
According to Mr Pornthep, the Tham Luang cave rescue operation raised Chiang Rai's profile among tourists, and authorities may want to consider adopting measures to ensure the continued flow of foreign tourists into the area.
Mr Pornthep also noted that the number of Chinese motorists visiting the country's northern provinces has surged, following the opening of the R3A highway in 2008, which links southern China, Laos, and Chiang Rai's Chiang Khong district.
However, Chinese tourist arrivals in Chiang Khong has reportedly declined, causing a dent in tourism revenues.
During China's "Golden Week" between Oct 1-7, more than 124,000 Chinese tourists passed through Laos' Boten border crossing along the R3A, but only 267 tourists crossed over to Chiang Khong.
In previous years, around 60-70% of Chinese tourists travelling along the R3A entered Thailand.
In 2013, more than 21,600 Chinese tourists entered Chiang Khong via the R3A route and the number rose to more than 27,700 in 2014 and to 43,500 in 2105. Most were en route to nearby provinces such as Chiang Mai, or to Bangkok and other coastal provinces.
However, the number of Chinese tourists dropped after the Transport Ministry in June 2016 imposed strict regulations on foreign-registered vehicles travelling into the country.
The tightened rules came after an influx of visiting motorists resulted in a spike in traffic accidents and waste management problems.
Currently, only vehicles with no more than nine seats and pickup trucks with a maximum weight of 3.5 tonnes are allowed to travel into Thailand.
Each vehicle can stay up to 30 days per visit to Thailand though no more than 60 days in a year.
Pakaimas Vierra, vice-president of the Chiang Rai Chamber of Commerce, said border regulations should be improved to give Chinese tourists more of an incentive to travel to Thailand.
Ms Pakaimas said the issue will be brought before the cabinet when the mobile cabinet meeting takes place in Chiang Mai on Oct 29-30.
She also said that trade and tourism in Mae Sai district are likely to benefit from the easing of the border crossing regulation, as the district is connected to a comprehensive network of roads that link Thailand with Laos and Myanmar.
The easing of border crossing rules is one of the proposals that local businesses plan to put forward for consideration by the cabinet.
Other proposals include the exemption of duty for goods exported by boat, the waiving of visa fees at special border checkpoints, the creation of a joint centre to improve security along the Mekong River, as well as the establishment of the Northern Economic Corridor.