What's the reality in CM? I'm in Vietnam and have seen many a hotel, cafe & diner close.

Same same.

Many closed, shut down, locked up or no customers.

The old city and surrounding areas are dead.

The Dara Devi shuttered it's doors forever and the Four Seasons has two rooms occupied. Draw your own conclusions with a virus that has one in a million chance of killing you.

 

There used to be a saying that you've got "a one in a million chance", meaning nonexistent. Now we will have to up that to one in a Billion chance, as there are many who 'feel' that those are pretty good odds. Most likely the same folks who buy lottery tickets.

 

Erm, the death rate in the USA has surpassed the total American deaths in WW2. And within 4cweekscwill exceed half a million. Does not seem insignificant to me.

To answer the OPs question. CM is a dead city with the tourism industry bring decimated, which is what the government wants. Should international travel restart there will be far fewer lodging choices here along with many less restaurants, bars and other tourism related businesses. 

On 1/22/2021 at 1:49 PM, brommers said:

CM is a dead city with the tourism industry bring decimated, which is what the government wants.

Please enlighten me as to why the govt. would want to decimate the tourism industry?

Tourist areas are pretty quiet... few people wandering around.. very difficult climate for business and yet, some of the places I like to visit are still open and doing a passable business... 

 

of course, in Thai areas and nieghborhoods and villages, pretty much business as usual.

1 minute ago, 1FinickyOne said:

Tourist areas are pretty quiet... few people wandering around.. very difficult climate for business and yet, some of the places I like to visit are still open and doing a passable business... 

 

of course, in Thai areas and nieghborhoods and villages, pretty much business as usual.

 

Absolutely this. It's dead in town but get out past the Superhighway and nothing has changed. 

CM just became in a Ghost Town. Streets, markets, shops...

On 22/01/2021 at 1:44 PM, brommers said:

Erm, the death rate in the USA has surpassed the total American deaths in WW2. And within 4cweekscwill exceed half a million. Does not seem insignificant to me.

Certainly high numbers not to be brushed aside but to be fair it needs to mentioned that common flu killed around 80k US. citizens in a single winter a couple of years ago. 

Covid is often compared with the Spanish Flu of 1918.

But that killed about 1 person in 40 in the world.

Covid has killed just about 1 in 3,500.

The Government may be purposely purging the small and/or successful businesses for its own purposes.... 

 

Dictatorship is the slippery slope all residents and citizens are currently experiencing. 

Free enterprise, capitalism, sole proprietors, partnerships....who needs that anymore?

 

Let the businesses die on the vine... the government will save us with new government subsidiarias and military protection from ourselves....

 

Long Live The PM!  

 

6 hours ago, topt said:

Please enlighten me as to why the govt. would want to decimate the tourism industry?

They feel that that there is too much reliance on Tourism income (i.e. % of GDP) in the country and need to move away from tourism as a major income source.

On 1/22/2021 at 1:44 PM, brommers said:

the death rate in the USA has surpassed the total American deaths in WW2.

rate and total are different units, can not be compared

On 1/22/2021 at 9:25 AM, Kf6vci said:

What's the reality in Chiang Mai ? I'm in Vietnam and have seen many a hotel, cafe & diner close.

Visited CM, Chiang Rai, Mai Hong Soong Loop late last year for motorcy tour. Strayed a few days at the beginning and end of the ride and the place was very quiet. Locals and some few Thai tourists. As an example of just how quiet, depressed the north west tourist trade is, we saw one (1) European biker in 10 days of riding a very popular riding route. Normally dozens a day can be seen. One upside is the hotels are offering crazy-cheap prices. Don't bother booking walk in and ask for their best price.

THE GREAT (or so they say) RESET