Austin's Sister City in Thailand
The Austin CHIANG MAI Sister Cities Committee...
Austin and Chiang Mai were fast-tracked into official Sister City status in February 2025, taking only 15 months to transition from Friendship City status. The right combination of foresight, effective leadership and proactiveness from Former Consul General to Chiang Mai and Austin native, Ms. Lisa Buzenas, along with dedicated Board Members and Volunteers made this possible. Focusing not only on exchanges across Education, Culture and Economic Development, Austin-Chiang Mai added City Governance, Law Enforcement and Public Safety best practices to their committee platform.
Partnership Outcomes:
Teacher Exchange Program between St. Andrew's Episcopal School (Austin, Texas) and the Prince Royal's College (Chiang Mai, Thailand)
Supported a law enforcement partnership between the Austin Police Department and the Royal Thai Police through a study visit focused on Thailand's strategies for addressing scam centers and drug trafficking in the Mae Kong Delta.
Expanded global engagement by welcoming international delegations during SXSW in Austin and fostering meaningful cultural and professional exchanges.
ABOUT Chiang mai
Chiang Mai is celebrated for its status as the largest city in northern Thailand and the second largest in the country. It's a hub for culinary tourism, wellness, local festivals like Songkran and Loy Krathong, and boasts over 300 Buddhist temples. Chiang Mai is also advancing as a business-friendly city with a robust IT infrastructure, fostering creative industries, smart agriculture, advanced healthcare, and diversified tourism catering to long-term visitors and digital nomads.