As tourism operators in Chiang Mai brace for the smog season over the coming months, they hope the pollution will be less severe this year than in previous years.
The industry is intensifying efforts to market the province as a wellness destination to counter the damaging reputation derived from the persistently high level of pollution it encouters at this time of year.
HOPE FOR CLEANER CLIMES
Regarded as being the most polluted place in Thailand, Chiang Mai municipality recorded hazardous levels of fine dust particles on several occasions during the month of April last year, as April is the most critical month when it comes to PM2.5.
Chiang Mai governor Nirat Pongsitthithaworn said the pollution in Chiang Mai is equally attributable to both internal and external factors.
As the smog emanating from neighbouring countries is a factor beyond Thailand's control, Mr Nirat said the province had done its best over the past 12 months to reduce the root cause within the area, preventing pre-agricultural forest burning that led to a 50% reduction from 1 million rai to 500,000 rai in 2024.
The province is also encouraging farmers to shift their agricultural practices away from annual crops such as corn, requiring farmers to burn a stubble that generates significant air pollution, to perennial plants, particularly coffee, which can provide them with new sources of income.
He said the provincial administration has partnered with Cafe Amazon, which will purchase 20,000 tonnes of coffee beans from an area covering 155,000 rai. The brand will continue to promote the province's agricultural products as the temperature in Chiang Mai and its mountain ranges are ideally suited to the cultivation of coffee plants.
"We're concerned about air quality. Our concerns extend not only to locals, but also to foreigners, 10% of whom are long-stay visitors," said Mr Nirat.
According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Chiang Mai attracted over 10.7 million tourists in 2024, 30% of whom were foreigners. The province earned almost 106 billion baht last year from the tourism sector.
Mr Nirat said Chiang Mai-based consulates representing various countries had requested a meeting with him to evaluate the proposed solutions prepared to address the smog situation.
He said air pollution levels in the first few weeks of January appeared to be less severe than corresponding periods in previous years, although the smog had yet to fully dissipate.
"In the past few years, Chiang Mai has consistently developed infrastructure, such as constructing outer ring roads to accommodate traffic directly from the airport without having to pass through the city, which would cause congestion. Our international airport is also expanding to cater to 20 million passengers per year, up from 8.5 million. Air pollution is the next thing we have to seriously tackle when it comes to welcoming travellers," he said.
WELLNESS AMBITIONS
Patsalin Swetarat, director of the TAT's Chiang Mai office, said the agency has set an aggressive goal for the province this year, with the aim of achieving 20% growth in arrivals and revenue.
She said tourism should generate 132 billion baht from 9.2 million domestic tourists and 4.1 million foreign tourists. The foreign market is expected to generate revenue totalling 52 billion baht, while the domestic market is projected to generate 80 billion baht.
Mrs Patsalin said the agency has confidence in Chiang Mai's resilience. Even though the province was marred by air pollution in April and severe floods in October last year, the province still managed to reach its target and had outperformed the result posted in 2019.
To stimulate the flow of tourists, the province is rolling out a city branding programme, which will offer big events in every month of this year, including the Thailand Travel Mart Plus at Royal Park Rajapruek on June 4-6, where the TAT and private sector will be able to showcase their products in front of 1,500 international buyers.
She said tourism partners in the province are also aiming to transform Chiang Mai into a wellness destination for wellbeing, one of the strategies being used to combat the perceptions concerning air quality.
Chiang Mai already has components suitable for the promotion of wellness tourism, led by the hot spring at San Kamphaeng, which recently held an inaugural onsen festival. The government has allocated a budget to develop this location to become Thailand's first onsen hot spring and bathing facilities.
In another initiative, the province introduced a so-called "Green Kitchen" by partnering with Chiang Mai University to roll out a "Food to Fight the Smog" project, involving six leading restaurants to develop healthful dishes. The aim was to create dishes that would help people to stay strong and healthy despite the decline in air quality and promote restaurants that prioritise cooking for health.
The province will also tap into sport tourism opportunities, particularly trail running events which are regularly held in the province's mountainous areas.
UNIQUE SELLING POINTS
Wattana Kaewmano, general manager of onsen at Moncham Resort, said the most challenging factor for hotel businesses in the province is still the smog season, which runs from March through April, prompting the resort to drop the average daily rate from 7,100 baht to 5,000 baht -- the lowest rate of the year -- in order to maintain its occupancy rate.
"We're still closely monitoring the situation to properly adjust our plan. From what we saw in January, the level of air pollution subsided compared to the corresponding period last year and we still hope the province won't face as severe a situation as previous years," he said.
Mr Wattana said promoting Chiang Mai as a wellness destination is the right strategy, but the province must help train employees to enable them to possess extensive language and service skills, and it should help guide tourists towards activities that match their preferences, such as farm tours.
As the onsen at Moncham Resort has been operating for six years and has specifically targeted the wellness segment since it opened, Mr Wattana said the resort has recognised the potential of this market among both local and international guests who wish to both travel to the province's mountainous areas and get the opportunity to enjoy wellness treatments during their stay.
"Our resort opened one year before the onset of Covid-19. Surprisingly, all 16 rooms were fully booked by local guests at that time as they were not able to travel overseas but still wanted to stay in a typical onsen, which is of the same standard as those found in Japan," he said.
Mr Wattana said the owners decided to expand the property to 24 rooms to cater to strong demand. The resort regularly recorded 90% occupancy during high season. The number of repeat guests is also as high as 55% of the total, which guarantees demand in this market is fairly stable.
Post-pandemic, even though the share of domestic guests fell from 90% to 60%, the resort managed to successfully attract a larger number of foreign visitors from the US, Singapore, China and Malaysia.
He said Mae Rim district, where the resort is located, includes the source of a well-known mineral water that has been certified in terms of quality and is suitable for consumption.
Hotels located in the area can promote consumption of the healthful water emanating from the natural springs at their properties, which could be a unique selling point to help strengthen the wellness market in Chiang Mai.
He said other districts also boast their own natural products, such as the hot springs of San Kamphaeng and Mae On, along with lots of organic farms which distribute their products to hotels in their local neighbourhoods.
