Local authorities and residents in this lower northeastern province are helping to revive tourism in the ancient city of Phimai in a bid to bring back jobs and generate more income for people in the area.
Amnuay Pongnan, Phimai district chief, said the project came under a development plan for Phimai and its surrounding communities.
About 120,000 people live in 213 villages in 12 tambons in the district, which is more than 800 years old and is famous for its rich history and culture.
He said the Covid-19 pandemic that has affected many countries around the world is wreaking havoc on local businesses and economies, especially those that rely mainly on tourism.
"Since the beginning of the year tourists have stopped coming to Phimai district to visit Prasat Hin Phimai [also known as Phimai Historical Park] and other tourist attractions,'' Mr Amnuay said.
As a result, there have been no buyers for the locally made products that would normally have been snapped up by visitors.
However, Mr Amnuay said Phimai district still hoped to organise the annual Phimai Festival and Boat Race in the second week of November and he was confident the festival would attract many tourists back. The highlight of the event is the traditional long-boat races that have taken place here for many years.
Phimai district is best known for Phimai Historical Park 60 kilometres northeast of the city in tambon Nai Muang. Its approximate area is 2,658 rai but the coronavirus means few tourists have visited the park or its museum, according to an officer there.
Mr Amnuay was speaking to Class XI students from the Promotion of Peaceful Society of the King Prajadhipok's Institute at a forum titled "Development of Phimai Historical Park and its Surrounding Communities".
The forum was jointly held by the King Prajadhipok's Institute, the Ombudsman Office, the Phimai District Office, the Phimai municipality and the 10th Regional Office of Fine Arts, Nakhon Ratchasima.
Participants discussed how the Phimai Historical Park and its surrounding communities can live together after the Fine Arts Department decided to earmark more than 2,600 rai of land near Phimai archaeological site as a protected zone.
More than 1,000 residents in the district claimed they had been affected by the decision and recently called on the government to conduct a new round of public hearings so that they could contribute their suggestions to the Phimai City Development Plan.
The residents say they were never consulted about the Fine Arts Department's plan to include their community around Prasat Hin Phimai into its preserved zone.
Wimol Malika, secretary to the Tambon Phimai mayor, said the tourism sector was a priority for Phimai City due to its important contribution to job creation and economic growth, as well as its educational and cultural value.
Mr Wimol, a member of the tambon Phimai municipality committee drafting the Phimai City Development Plan, said Phimai had a long history and had previously been an important town at the time of the Khmer Empire.
The temple Prasat Hin Phimai, located in the city centre, was one of the major Khmer temples connected with Angkor, the capital city of the Khmer Empire, by an ancient Khmer Highway. Therefore Phimai soon became a transport and tourism hub in the region.
Mr Wimol went on to say that Phimai would soon boast connections with the double-track railways from Nakhon Ratchasima to Nong Khai and from Nakhon Ratchasima to Ubon Ratchathani. When construction of the double-track railway is complete, a lot of people would visit the district using trains, he predicted.
Phimai has the third-highest income in the province after Pak Chong and Muang districts. It also has many lakes and rivers which could be further developed to incorporate tourist activities, he added.
Town officials had also discussed with Nakhon Ratchasima province how to help encourage tourists in Pak Chong to travel further to Phimai district, said Mr Wimol, and he pledged to monitor those discussions so that tourism in Phimai would be speedily restored.
He also said under the plan to restore tourism in Phimai, the municipality had proposed that guesthouses, boutique hotels and homestays in the district should be developed to accommodate tourists who arrived for short stays but hoped to hit all the major tourist attractions.
"We have already put a lot of work into the urbanisation of Phimai municipality," he said. "Phimai generally is a very safe district. The municipality area is small. Tourists can feel safe when they walk everywhere at night in the municipal area."
Thana Piphitkul, community development chief at Phimai district office, said apart from its famous ancient city, the district was also known for its Moon River, which flows through Phimai down into Ubon Ratchathani.
He said he had proposed that the riverbanks be developed into a floating market to attract both Thai and foreign tourists.
A 50-year-old vendor at Phimai National Museum said the government must launch campaigns to bring back Thai and foreign tourists to Phimai as quickly as possible.
"We want our life to return to normal with businesses able to earn a good income like they could before Covid-19," he said.