Chiang Mai –
Some time ago, Chiang Mai facing pollution which is feared will disrupt tourism activities. Now, their fears have come true.
Reported from Channel News AsiaCity of Chiang Mai in Thailand north and surroundings closed by thick pollution. The government even urged residents to avoid outdoor activities.
Chiang Mai is famous for its beautiful mountain views, temples and theme cafes which received 10.8 million tourist in pre-pandemic 2019.
This policy will certainly affect tourism. Now hotel bookings in the city have begun to decline by 45 percent. This makes the target of 80-90 percent ahead of the Thai New Year or Songkran holidays looking even more bleak.
“Pollution is impacting my business, people won’t come to see the sights,” said Sunat Insao, an orange juice seller at the tourist spot.
As if returning to the pandemic era, the government also asked people to return to wearing masks. On Monday (10/4) Chiang Mai’s air quality dropped to 171.
“You can feel the dust on your face. I wiped my face and saw it was very dirty,” said Fernanda Gonzalez, a tourist from Mexico.
This pollution is caused by forest fires and crop burning carried out by Thailand and its neighboring countries. The Prime Minister of Thailand, Prayut Chan-o-cha, said that Thailand will coordinate with Laos and Myanmar to reduce the heat in the border area, so as to curb cross-border haze.
This incident is not the first. A resident of Chiang Mai named Pathsharasakon Po said that he was worried that he would get cancer because he was constantly exposed to pollution.
“This keeps happening and it’s getting worse every year,” he said.
Watch Video “Sightings of a Mountain Covered in Fire in Thailand“
(bnl/fem)
