The governor of Mae Hong Son province has demanded new rules for visitors after a group of tourists were found drinking while tubing in the Pai River.
A resort owner in Pai district of Mae Hong Son complained that the tourists were drinking alcohol while tubing and were spending almost ten hours a day in the river, damaging the environment.
The tourists then walked around the resort town wearing only swimsuits, the complaint continued, making residents and other tourists uncomfortable. A couple of tourists were also caught engaging in sexual activity in a restricted area in the resort, an incident that was reported to the Pai police station.
Alcohol in water bottles
Following the complaint, provincial governor Chuchip Pongchai called the police and related departments for a July 16 meeting to discuss new restrictions for tourists.
The province already prohibits the sale of alcohol to tourists who go tubing, floating down the river resting on the inner tubes of rubber tyres. Most visitors follow the regulations, but others – and some shop owners – disobey the rules by disguising the alcohol by pouring it into water bottles.
Pai is one of the most famous destinations in Northern Thailand, drawing 40,000 tourists a year and stimulating the Thailand's economic growth. Tubing in the Pai river has become a particularly popular activity among foreigners. But the behaviour of some tourists has endangered the image of the province, the governor said.
