Yala, Thailand southernmost province, will be holding the ‘30th Zebra dove, the voice of ASEAN’ competition as a means to boost the tourism economy.

Yala mayor Pongsak Yingchoncharoen revealed that collaboration is between the Yala municipality, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre (SBPAC) and the Yala Provincial Administrative Organisation (PAO).

The event will be held between March 7-8 2015 at the Kwan Mueng Park, Yala municipality where zebra dove breeders from various areas both in Thailand and abroad such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia will bring altogether approximately 2,000 doves to take part in the competition.

Additional activities will also be held including another competition for the Red-whiskered Bulbul and White-rumped shama on the same dates. On March 6-8, a food festival of the delicious dishes of the three southern border provinces will be held too.

The Zebra dove competition has continued into its 30th year since 1986 and has created great value to the provinces tourism and economy.

Nowadays, this activity has become an income-earner for those in the bird business where the Yala municipality has improved it into becoming creative economic strategy under the theme ‘Yala Bird City’ where local residents now have are a part of the whole bird industry beginning from breeding the birds, exporting them, building cages and cage covers as well as bird food and supplements, etc.-VNA