Tourism dip in North sparks fear for its future

CHAING MAI: -- The northern region is becoming less popular among tourists as its charms as a cultural and arts centre are losing their lustre, according to a recent survey by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Only 13 million tourists visited the North in 2004, earning the region Bt70 billion. The northern region was ranked the least-visited region in terms of tourism revenue last year, with Bangkok the highest with Bt306 billion and the South clocking in with Bt156 billion.

Saowaluk Chimada, vice-president of the Chiang Mai Chamber of Commerce, said the North’s tourism industry might have experienced a slowdown because the region’s main tourist destinations, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, have lost their charm through constant development.

The growth in the region’s role as a handicrafts manufacturing centre, especially Chiang Mai, had also made it appear more commercial and less culturally authentic.

Saowalak urged the government to set aside funds to help tourism-related businesses and establish overseas road-shows to promote the region. She also suggested the government focus on pensioners by promoting cultural tours to temples, museums and other attractions.

It could also encourage students to travel to the region on school cultural exchange programmes. She said they would benefit from learning about the rich Lanna culture and arts heritage.

The Nation/Citylife 2005-05-15

I think Khun Saowalak is right. Chiang Mai is losing its charm and is getting a reputation as a crowded and polluted place. It hasn't happened overnight , has it? Towns like Nan, Phrae and Leoi for example don't have the facilities or attractions to attract large numbers of tourists either and once pleasant destinations like Chiang Saen in Chiang Rai are being turned into concrete eyesores.
As long as there are thai women there will be some tourists, though perhaps not many up here in the spoilt north. Still a good place to live though.

Yeah, the north sucks. All you tourists just stay away from the north. Its really ugly here and absolutely nothing of interest to do. Better to go south....but not north....definitely not north......

Agreed, but don't go too far south. Bangkok is great - that's the place to be. It's got everything that a tourist could possibly want. Phuket has got nothing of interest and is so boring. Nothing to see here.

Yes, come to Korat instead!

We have umm, err, ah....

Yeah, come to Korat instead!

Pai is really developing in the North. It has become a backpacker haven and has replaced Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai for that particular market. So, I think the North still has a future.....As we have seen in the past, first the Hippies, adventurers, then the backpacking community, then everyone from Paul, Hans. Otto, Jean Pierre and Gunther will want to go there....
There is so much potential to develop retirement communities and sattelite retreats for Bangkonians.....It will come....

You have peace and quiet and a local population that does not suffer from "farang fatigue". Yet. Don't spoil it! (I might go back there one day )

All kinds of things to do and see in korat , like, uh , well ...just check out the webcam . You can always come over and see my two headed fish .

Darn, you had to tell, didn't you....

Please don't spread news of the webcam around too much. We don't want people flocking here in droves to enjoy the excitement.....

Now there's a generalization I'll go along with!

Yeah I agree that Chiangers has become a tad too busy from what it was back 20 years ago. One could cross the street without a problem back then....now.......continuous traffic. And why build stupid tall concrete hotels in those small streets around the night bazaar.......really sometimes you have to think is there any flocking brains in this place.

Koh Chang is another example of absolute crap approach to tourism development......all these words come to mind when Koh Chang comes to mind........greed; encroachment; corruption; destruction; bulldozers; lies; narrow minds; lack of or no planning and stupidity.

The perfect example is the "authentic fishing village" of Bang Bao ....... what a joke that place has become ! Arriving there now you will see first a huge 7/11 as your entry point to a strip of shops selling shite souvenir t-shirts and so on......it is Damnoen Saduak on foot !!! I sincerely hope that someone in the local community or TAT reads this.

My memory is that it was just as dangerous then... All those one-way streets were two-way then, and just as pedestrian-unfriendly

Couldn't agree more. Went to Ko Chang in January for the first time in 6 years and Bang Bao was the biggest disappointment by far. If that's an "authentic fishing village" then Pattaya is a lovely clean family destination. Luckily some of the beaches on Ko Chang are still quite nice (for the time being).

Actually had lunch in Korat yesterday, on the way back from Chum Phae, and found it much like Bangkok was 30 years ago (tree lined streets and cool enough to sit outside). What did suprise me was seeing 6 foreigners in Chum Phae in the space of an hour.

I have heard that Lopburi ( the city ) is looking for about 5 thousand new farangs to move in and spice up the place , I was there yesterday for dinnner .

Gives us the legal right to own land and I'm sure they'll be inundated!

Where do all the monkeys hang out when they don't get their annual free dinner?

Your house

"in terms of tourism revenue". Most probably those $$$ have not been declared outside the toursim revenue ?

It's been going on for more than a few years. Bangkokians need a place to hangout that isn't Bangkok. Out of my group of grad school classmates (44 people), about a third of the class have getaway homes there now, most for a decade or so, but many just acquired within the past 2-3 years.

My wife's village up in the hills has all but disappeared as a Khon Muang village and has become a Bangkok rural retreat. Our neighbors are now mostly one-weekend-a-month visitors from Bangkok. They include an admiral, a banker, a police general, and others who I have never met. It started in our tambon when former "king maker" Phichai Ratakul bought some land closer to the highway and built his rural retreat. a teak log house, and had the road paved. This was soon followed by other leading members of his political party purchasing land in the district. This trend has been going on elsewhere up north since the late 1980s. You see, once the despised Farang tourists discover an area and give it value the always ready to follow Bangkok crowd is never far behind to lay waste to a good thing.

Falang tourists discovered Chiang Mai? Myself, we're fairly proud of the fact that we discovered Bangkapi. Just a bunch of native Sioux and Navajo before we got there.

Anyone driving around in the hills around the north can see quite clearly that the locals don't need Bangkokians to ###### things up- they've been doing that quite nicely themselves...

The entire area around Ponyang, for one example, is being turned into growing areas. I have photos of mountain views in the area from 15-20 years ago that show completely forested moutain sides that are now completely un-forested and being used by mostly Hmong to grow cash crops which are sold in Chiang Mai markets...

Along the road from Mae Suay to Fang, you can see the fields growing in size every year, stretching right up to the tops of the moutains. None of this is private land, either. Fires are lit, then the land is cleared and planted with cash crops... Ignored by authorities, it seems.

Same along the road to Wiang Haeng, especially around the two largest Lisaw villages (more like towns now). A couple of months ago, while driving through there at night, it was easy to see the lines of fire everywhere.... In the photo below, this line of fire that goes up the mountainside is perhaps 500 meters long, starting from the edge of the road. Completely ignored by any authorities, even though this was beautiful forest with many old-growth trees...


No sign of any interest from authorities, once again....

The sad part of 'TiT'.

Yeah, and you should have seen South Beach Miami about 150 years ago. What a mess they've made of it, eh? When will they tear down the hotels and high rises so that the trees can grow back? Does anyone care? "TIF" (This is Florida)



This post has been edited by Heng: 2005-05-22 19:18:08