The Northern Economic Corridor ( Abrv: NEC–Creative LANNA; ) is a

special economic zone A special economic zone (SEZ) is an area in which the business and trade laws are different from the rest of the country. SEZs are located within a country's national borders, and their aims include increasing trade balance, employment, increas ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

that covers four provinces:

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai, sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, second largest city in Thailan ...

Chiang Rai Chiang Rai (, ; , ) is the northernmost major city in Thailand, with a population of about 200,000 people. It is located in Mueang Chiang Rai District, Chiang Rai Province. Chiang Rai was established as a capital city in the reign of King Ma ...

Lampang Lampang, also called Nakhon Lampang (; , ) to differentiate from Lampang province, is the third largest city in northern Thailand and capital of Lampang province and the Mueang Lampang district. Traditional names for Lampang include Wiang Lak ...

, and

Lamphun Lamphun (; , ) is a town ('' thesaban mueang'') in northern Thailand, capital of Lamphun Province. It covers the whole ''tambon'' Nai Mueang of Mueang Lamphun district. As of 2006 it has a population of 14,030. Lamphun lies north of Bangkok and ...

. It is designated as a production base for the creative economy based on the local culture, with a focus on sustainable development. The NEC aims to promote community and cultural tourism and improve products for export. This corridor focuses on developing infrastructure to support a creative economy, a telecommunications network to promote the North as a digital hub as well as wellness, smart city projects and organic foods. The corridor is also aligned with the "Bio-Circular-Green Economy Model (BGC)", a national agenda to drive future industries under the

Sustainable Development Goals The ''2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development'', adopted by all United Nations (UN) members in 2015, created 17 world Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim of these global goals is "peace and prosperity for people and the planet" – wh ...

(SDG) and promote stable and sustainable economic growth.

History

The Thai government approved the designation of special economic corridors in four regions, including the Northern Economic Corridor (NEC), during a Cabinet meeting on September 20, 2022. The NEC encompasses

, and

provinces and is intended to promote sustainable development of the country's main creative economy base, reduce income inequality, enhance quality of life for people, strengthen security in border areas, and increase competitiveness and connectivity with neighboring countries. The proposal was made by the

Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council The Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (), also known as NESDC (), is a national economic planning agency of Thailand. It is a government department reporting directly to the Office of the Prime Minister. The NESDC mai ...

(NESDC) and approved by the National Policy Committee for the Development of Special Economic Zones, which is headed by the NESDC secretary.

References

Special economic zones of Thailand Proposed special economic zones {{Economy-stub

History

See also

References