News Forum - Chiang Mai tour operators concerned over pollution, bookings down 50%

[Thaiger]

Tour operators in Chiang Mai raised concerns after the latest tourism figures revealed bookings were down 50% after the popular tourist destination was ranked the world’s most polluted city. But that’s not all, respiratory diseases in the province continue to rise The air quality index produced by Swiss company IQAir revealed that Chiang Mai had …

The story Chiang Mai tour operators concerned over pollution, bookings down 50% as seen on Thaiger News.

Read the full story

[KaptainRob]

@BobScott - please stop quoting AQI clickbait garbage reports.  Chiang Mai is NOT World's most polluted.  Do some research and/or refer the map you have inserted.

Furthermore, Chiang Mai province, Thailands 2nd largest, shares it's name with the city where most Songkran visitors book accomodation.  The city smoke haze levels may be quite different, and much lower than the north.

Fewer tourists are a blessing as far as I am concerned but erroneous reporting harms the industry.

[Skip]

20 hours ago, KaptainRob said:

@BobScott - please stop quoting AQI clickbait garbage reports.  Chiang Mai is NOT World's most polluted.  Do some research and/or refer the map you have inserted.

Furthermore, Chiang Mai province, Thailands 2nd largest, shares it's name with the city where most Songkran visitors book accomodation.  The city smoke haze levels may be quite different, and much lower than the north.

Fewer tourists are a blessing as far as I am concerned but erroneous reporting harms the industry.

Have you walked outside... you are lucky if you can see a city block thru the haze.  I live in Saraphi and cannot see the mountains in any direction.  It is the worse that I have ever seen and I came here in 1968... so maybe you deniers can explain your reluctance to admit there is a major pollution problem and offer some constructive comments. 

[Khunmark]

It’s quite remarkable and depressing at the same time, that none of the candidates in the election are prioritising air quality. Have they not read the room.

[MrStretch]

It's really not pollution, as we commonly understand it, nor is it smog (smog and fog).  It's smoke.

Where there's smoke, there's fire.  Deal with the fires, the source of the smoke.

[GjM]

Here in Chiang  Rai the AQI index has been 400+ for the last 3 days. The state of the breathable air in Thailand, especially in the north, is a national disgrace. People are dying. 

But nobody cares. The cost only becomes important when it's monetised in lost tourist revenue. A pretty sad reflection of the national mentality. 

[KaptainRob]

3 minutes ago, GjM said:

Here in Chiang  Rai the AQI index has been 400+ for the last 3 days. The state of the breathable air in Thailand, especially in the north, is a national disgrace. People are dying. 

But nobody cares. The cost only becomes important when it's monetised in lost tourist revenue. A pretty sad reflection of the national mentality. 

It's been way higher than 400. 

Refer my thread here https://talk.thethaiger.com/topic/22519-air-quality-a-balanced-report-with-supporting-data/?do=findComment&comment=294702

 

 

The Chiang Mai Governor is doing a mighty good job of combatting the problem but the majority of smoke is coming in from Mae Hong Son which is poorly governed, one of the big bosses actually lives just 2 doors from me.  They are seemingly NOT educating or penalising the MHS rural folk, largely hill tribes, and that is something you might complain about.

Don't be like so many expats here who seem to think it's an easy fix.  This year is certainly bad for CR and CM provinces, conditions exacerbated by wind which funnel the smoke from India, Burma and MHS, from sou'west and west.  A series of severe thunderstorm activity (due soon) should clear the air.

[Khunmark]

4 hours ago, KaptainRob said:

It's been way higher than 400. 

Refer my thread here https://talk.thethaiger.com/topic/22519-air-quality-a-balanced-report-with-supporting-data/?do=findComment&comment=294702

The Chiang Mai Governor is doing a mighty good job of combatting the problem but the majority of smoke is coming in from Mae Hong Son which is poorly governed, one of the big bosses actually lives just 2 doors from me.  They are seemingly NOT educating or penalising the MHS rural folk, largely hill tribes, and that is something you might complain about.

Don't be like so many expats here who seem to think it's an easy fix.  This year is certainly bad for CR and CM provinces, conditions exacerbated by wind which funnel the smoke from India, Burma and MHS, from sou'west and west.  A series of severe thunderstorm activity (due soon) should clear the air.

It’s hard to imagine a satisfactory outcome here, given the complexity of the problem. First there is the lack of rain for many months making the whole region to the north like a tinderbox. Then you have a farming community wedded to slash and burn agriculture.

Rice, sugar and corn, which is abundant, all produce loads of smoke when burnt off. You have illegal forest burning activities by local villagers to harvest wild mushrooms and arsonists who start fires for fun. 

On top of this, the vast majority of the bush fires are in  jurisdictions outside of Thailand , Myanmar mostly, followed by Laos and Cambodia . So the response must be coordinated between all countries concerned. But can anyone see the political will from a place like Myanmar to step up to the plate?

[KaptainRob]

2 minutes ago, Khunmark said:

You have illegal forest burning activities by local villagers to harvest wild mushrooms and arsonists who start fires for fun. 

Fires to the west of Doi Suthep are causing (ringed) are causing problems for many CM city residents today.  Owing to the topography, smoke settles in the CM valley overnight and only rises (and AQ eases) with convection from around mid morning. Some suburbs had quite severe 300ppm readings this morning.

[KaptainRob]

Fire at Mae On, to the east of CM, last night.

[Ramanathan.P]

This is a never ending story year after year for donkey years now....Nothing will change. The authorities will always know that such noises are only short lived as tourists and expats will always flock back to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. 

[HolyCowCm]

Whate ever the cause of it this year, no one can deny it is pretty bad. The last 3 years were actually really ok, with 2 of them being covid years, but we also had abnormal rain coming in and out seemed like every week or other week of every month, but this year even with rain it just takes 1 day and it reverts back to one not even knowing there was a rain in the first place. Yes different countries burning as well, but it would seem the fire bugs for what ever reason are out in larger numbers this year. All we can do is hope for rain. Me and the Mrs are not even excerising as in running the last couple of days. Too thick for our liking.

[Khunmark]

54 minutes ago, HolyCowCm said:

Whate ever the cause of it this year, no one can deny it is pretty bad. The last 3 years were actually really ok, with 2 of them being covid years, but we also had abnormal rain coming in and out seemed like every week or other week of every month, but this year even with rain it just takes 1 day and it reverts back to one not even knowing there was a rain in the first place. Yes different countries burning as well, but it would seem the fire bugs for what ever reason are out in larger numbers this year. All we can do is hope for rain. Me and the Mrs are not even excerising as in running the last couple of days. Too thick for our liking.

Off topic, but where do you go running? Out of interest.

[HolyCowCm]

11 minutes ago, Khunmark said:

Off topic, but where do you go running? Out of interest.

Sometimes at and around 700 year stadium, used to be the old small stadium but that is just terrible now, and one I won't mention. I avoid places that have direct small-medium to large traffic with automobiles. Some occasional car doesn't bother me but a constant flow of them just not inot it. Been thinking when the weather gets a little better to do some trails up past the zoo just to get some hills in and a more push on the muscles. Just depends, but I am sort of an avid runner (like to excercise but happier when finished), except for last week and this week for sure.