CHIANG MAI: Top tourist attractions in this northern province have been packed with visitors, both Thais and foreigners, for New Year holidays.
Holidaymakers have started to camp out at Doi Inthanon, the province's top tourist spot, expecting to see the sun rise on New Year's day. Uphill roads to camping areas are jam-packed with vehicles.
The temperatures were 5 degree Celcius on top of Doi Inthanon, 8 at the mountain top of Kiew Mae Pan, and 11 at the office of the Doi Inthanon National Park on Sunday morning.
Kritsayam Kongsatri, chief of the Doi Inthanon National Park, said preparations have been made to accommodate tourists expecting a cold spell and natural beauty. A campaign has been launched for tourists to bring with them bags to collect garbage and take them out of the national park after completing the holiday.
He expected the number of tourists to be over 20,000 on the New Year's day.
The number of tourist arrivals at Doi Inthanon on Saturday was 13,976 on Saturday, comprising 12,840 Thais and 1,316 foreigners.
Other tourist spots such as Huay Nam Dang, the Ang Khang royal agricultural project, Doi Pha Hom Pok and Sri Lanna Forest Park have also been filled up with tourists. Officials have been deployed to facilitate flows of traffic to various tourist spots.
Komsan Suwan-ampa, the deputy governor of Chiang Mai, instructed officials at a meeting to do their best to prevent accidents.