BANGKOK, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Thailand has launched a pilot project to promote geocultural tourism in northern high terrains.

Four government agencies, including the Department of Tourism, the Department of Cultural Promotion, Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation and the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration, signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday by which they will jointly promote geocultural tourism in high terrains of five northern provinces - Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lamphun, Tak and Uthai Thani.

Local villagers will be hired as tour guides for Thai and foreign visitors to ethnic communities in those high terrains of the country, said Social Development and Human Security Minister Anantaporn Kanchanarat, who presided over the MOU signing between the government agencies.

Such geocultural tourism, designed to lure tourists to secondary destinations in addition to major ones in northern Thailand, might be as well promoted in other parts of the country in the future, he said.