Northern Economic Corridor

Northern Economic Corridor
Special Economic Zone
CountryThailand
RegionNorthern Thailand
Provinces
4 provinces
Government
 • TypeSpecial economic zone
Area
 • Total
50,604 km2 (19,538 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[1]
 • Total
3,920,954
Time zoneUTC+7 (ICT)

The Northern Economic Corridor (Abrv: NEC–Creative LANNA; Thai: ระเบียงเศรษฐกิจพิเศษภาคเหนือ) is a special economic zone in Thailand that covers four provinces: Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lampang, and Lamphun.[2] It is designated as a production base for the creative economy based on the local culture,[3] with a focus on sustainable development.[4] The NEC aims to promote community and cultural tourism and improve products for export.[5] 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.[6][7]

The corridor is also aligned with the "Bio-Circular-Green Economy Model (BGC)",[8] a national agenda to drive future industries under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and promote stable and sustainable economic growth.[7]

  1. ^ "Demography Population and Housing Branch". National Statistical Office (NSO). Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  2. ^ Kongbuamai, Nattapan; Khoifin, Kiki; Uttama, Nathapornpan (2022). "The "Lanna" Project: Redefining Hope for a Sustainable and Creative Economy in the Northern Economic Corridor of Thailand.". Creative Economy 2030: Imagining and Delivering a Robust, Creative, Inclusive, and Sustainable Recovery. Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI). pp. 197–212.
  3. ^ Chatrudee Theparat (May 6, 2022). "New regional zones approved by panel". Bangkok Post.
  4. ^ "ครม. เห็นชอบการกำหนดพื้นที่ระเบียงเศรษฐกิจพิเศษ 4 ภาค" (in Thai). September 26, 2022.
  5. ^ Thailand Developing Four New Economic Corridors and Related Incentives, May 2022
  6. ^ "State preps perks for new economic corridors". Bangkok Post. May 17, 2022.
  7. ^ a b การติดตามและขับเคลื่อนผลการดำเนินงานผลการพัฒนาอุตสาหกรรมในพื้นที่ NEC- Creative LANNA ภายใต้ร่างแผนฯ 13 สู่การปฏิบัติ (in Thai), July 6, 2022
  8. ^ Understanding the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) Economy Model, SOM Steering Committee on Economic and Technical Cooperation (SCE), August 2022, p. 29