Popular Post webfact Posted March 23 Popular Post Share Posted March 23 Anticipation builds as the Songkran festival in Chiang Mai, set to span 10 days, is projected to pull in millions of tourists, raking in an estimated 20 billion baht in revenue. This year’s observance of the festival, scheduled from April 7 to 17, is particularly special as it not only seeks to uphold the local Lanna culture but also marks the city’s 728th anniversary, shared Deputy Governor of Chiang Mai, Weerapong Rithrod, and the city’s Mayor, Assanee Buranupakorn. This year’s celebration stands apart from previous ones as the festival has recently been added to UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list. Additionally, the Ministry of Culture has chosen the province as one of the five with the most iconic cultures and traditions. The festival will be a harmonious mix of cultural preservation and modern Songkran enjoyment activities, added Weerapong. Assanee emphasised that, alongside the preservation of cultures and traditions, the festival also aims to provide a significant boost to the province’s economy and tourism. He foresees the event attracting millions of domestic and international tourists to the province. Yet, not all is rosy. Paisarn Sukjarean, president of the Thai Hotels Association’s Upper Northern Chapter, shared that while foreign tourists have begun reserving hotel rooms in Chiang Mai, there has been a slower uptake among local tourists, possibly due to the prevailing air pollution in the province. Nonetheless, he remains optimistic, expecting a surge in local bookings as the festival nears. Smaller hotels and those within the three-to-four-star range are likely to be filled by Thai tourists, he expressed, with a confidence that 60% of hotel rooms will be occupied, reported Bangkok Post. To ensure the safety and security of festival-goers, preparations are underway by the Provincial police to deploy 1,500 officers in the Chiang Mai city area, while an additional 3,000 officers will be assigned to cover the entire province. In related news, Chiang Mai recently ascended to an undesirable top spot on the global stage as it experiences severe air pollution, making it the most polluted city in the world. The air quality in this northern Thai city has reached levels that pose significant health risks due to the pervasive spread of PM2.5 particles. by Mitch Connor Photo courtesy of Bangkok Post Source: The Thaiger 2024-03-23 - Discover how Cigna Insurance can protect you with a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment. For more information on expat health insurance click here. Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe 1 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Pique Dard Posted March 23 Popular Post Share Posted March 23 10 minutes ago, webfact said: Anticipation builds as the Songkran festival in Chiang Mai, set to span 10 days, is projected to pull in millions of tourists, ....who will fill their lungs with an air that may one day make them regret ever having visited this city! 2 1 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post VocalNeal Posted March 23 Popular Post Share Posted March 23 Just now, Pique Dard said: ....who will fill their lungs with an air that may one day make them regret ever having visited this city! Q. Do you know what is in the air that has disastrous long-term effects on most creatures on the planet? A. Oxygen. 1 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post connda Posted March 23 Popular Post Share Posted March 23 Songkran festival in Chiang Mai to draw in millions of tourists <cough cough cough> Maybe if enough water is sprayed in the air, folks might be able to see Doi Suthep from the northwest end of the moat. Maybe. Or maybe not. 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post JoePai Posted March 23 Popular Post Share Posted March 23 seeks to uphold the local Lanna culture By soaking everyone with water guns ? 1 1 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneMoreFarang Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 Hopefully all tourists who want to get wet will go to Chiang Mai or anywhere far away from Bangkok. Enjoy! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post bugger bognor Posted March 23 Popular Post Share Posted March 23 The pollution is no longer a secret the world knows let see how it affects the numbers and Thai buissines profits when they loose out on money that the only motivator to pressure the government to take real action not just empty words 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Sqoop Posted March 23 Popular Post Share Posted March 23 Millions of tourists to chiang mai ? Perhaps they exaggerate ? 1 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Advocatus Diaboli Posted March 23 Popular Post Share Posted March 23 1 minute ago, Sqoop said: Millions of tourists to chiang mai ? Perhaps they exaggerate ? Is this TIT for TAT? One calculator for another! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guderian Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 Ten days? That's longer than Pattaya. I hope this doesn't become an inter-city competition to see who can hold the longest water throwing festival. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Tarteso Posted March 23 Popular Post Share Posted March 23 Enjoy the pollution 😷 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sqwakvfr Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 (edited) Millions of tourists in a 10 day span? Logistically that seem like “mission impossible”. Even if every international and domestic flight was packed along with buses, trains and cars “millions”? Based upon my experience of living in CNX for over 7 yeas the people here are not as friendly as the image that is portrayed. The main draw of CNX are 3 things: 1) It is cheap 2) It is cheap 3) It is cheap. Edited March 23 by sqwakvfr 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkk6060 Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 Not just the air, but the construction on the roads in and around the inner city is horrendous. Big holes in the roadways you have to zig zag to single lanes to get past it creating a major traffic jam now. Good luck. Bangkok is actually the best to be from my experience as many leave the city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Aussie999 Posted March 23 Popular Post Share Posted March 23 (edited) 2 hours ago, webfact said: Anticipation builds as the Songkran festival in Chiang Mai, set to span 10 days, is projected to pull in millions of tourists, raking in an estimated 20 billion baht in revenue. This year’s observance of the festival, scheduled from April 7 to 17, is particularly special as it not only seeks to uphold the local Lanna culture but also marks the city’s 728th anniversary, shared Deputy Governor of Chiang Mai, Weerapong Rithrod, and the city’s Mayor, Assanee Buranupakorn. This year’s celebration stands apart from previous ones as the festival has recently been added to UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list. Additionally, the Ministry of Culture has chosen the province as one of the five with the most iconic cultures and traditions. The festival will be a harmonious mix of cultural preservation and modern Songkran enjoyment activities, added Weerapong. Assanee emphasised that, alongside the preservation of cultures and traditions, the festival also aims to provide a significant boost to the province’s economy and tourism. He foresees the event attracting millions of domestic and international tourists to the province. Yet, not all is rosy. Paisarn Sukjarean, president of the Thai Hotels Association’s Upper Northern Chapter, shared that while foreign tourists have begun reserving hotel rooms in Chiang Mai, there has been a slower uptake among local tourists, possibly due to the prevailing air pollution in the province. Nonetheless, he remains optimistic, expecting a surge in local bookings as the festival nears. Smaller hotels and those within the three-to-four-star range are likely to be filled by Thai tourists, he expressed, with a confidence that 60% of hotel rooms will be occupied, reported Bangkok Post. To ensure the safety and security of festival-goers, preparations are underway by the Provincial police to deploy 1,500 officers in the Chiang Mai city area, while an additional 3,000 officers will be assigned to cover the entire province. In related news, Chiang Mai recently ascended to an undesirable top spot on the global stage as it experiences severe air pollution, making it the most polluted city in the world. The air quality in this northern Thai city has reached levels that pose significant health risks due to the pervasive spread of PM2.5 particles. by Mitch Connor Photo courtesy of Bangkok Post Source: The Thaiger 2024-03-23 - Discover how Cigna Insurance can protect you with a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment. For more information on expat health insurance click here. Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe Where do they get the numbers from, unless it's Thais returning home, the pollution levels have been report globally...the Thai PM is reported as saying he won't declare a national disaster, because... wait for it... it could affect tourist numbers, partly because travel insurance would be cancelled.... so let people get sick, as long as the money comes in.... Just how sick is the Thai PM/government. Edited March 23 by Aussie999 6 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post fittobethaied Posted March 23 Popular Post Share Posted March 23 That's a bit of a stretch if you ask me. Maybe a few hundred thousand, but certainly not millions! If even one million came by aircraft at 200 people per plane load over 10 days would be 500 plane loads per day. And where are they all staying? Rubish! 2 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Deez Posted March 23 Popular Post Share Posted March 23 Good time to leave. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post mran66 Posted March 23 Popular Post Share Posted March 23 1 hour ago, Sqoop said: Millions of tourists to chiang mai ? Perhaps they exaggerate ? No. They just get lost with the zeros after 2 of them. Thousand or million or billion are all about the same. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Marco51 Posted March 23 Popular Post Share Posted March 23 3 hours ago, webfact said: Anticipation builds as the Songkran festival in Chiang Mai, set to span 10 days, is projected to pull in millions of tourists, raking in an estimated 20 billion baht in revenue. This year’s observance of the festival, scheduled from April 7 to 17, is particularly special as it not only seeks to uphold the local Lanna culture but also marks the city’s 728th anniversary, shared Deputy Governor of Chiang Mai, Weerapong Rithrod, and the city’s Mayor, Assanee Buranupakorn. This year’s celebration stands apart from previous ones as the festival has recently been added to UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list. Additionally, the Ministry of Culture has chosen the province as one of the five with the most iconic cultures and traditions. The festival will be a harmonious mix of cultural preservation and modern Songkran enjoyment activities, added Weerapong. Assanee emphasised that, alongside the preservation of cultures and traditions, the festival also aims to provide a significant boost to the province’s economy and tourism. He foresees the event attracting millions of domestic and international tourists to the province. Yet, not all is rosy. Paisarn Sukjarean, president of the Thai Hotels Association’s Upper Northern Chapter, shared that while foreign tourists have begun reserving hotel rooms in Chiang Mai, there has been a slower uptake among local tourists, possibly due to the prevailing air pollution in the province. Nonetheless, he remains optimistic, expecting a surge in local bookings as the festival nears. Smaller hotels and those within the three-to-four-star range are likely to be filled by Thai tourists, he expressed, with a confidence that 60% of hotel rooms will be occupied, reported Bangkok Post. To ensure the safety and security of festival-goers, preparations are underway by the Provincial police to deploy 1,500 officers in the Chiang Mai city area, while an additional 3,000 officers will be assigned to cover the entire province. In related news, Chiang Mai recently ascended to an undesirable top spot on the global stage as it experiences severe air pollution, making it the most polluted city in the world. The air quality in this northern Thai city has reached levels that pose significant health risks due to the pervasive spread of PM2.5 particles. by Mitch Connor Photo courtesy of Bangkok Post Source: The Thaiger 2024-03-23 - Discover how Cigna Insurance can protect you with a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment. For more information on expat health insurance click here. Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe Right! Any local inhabitant I know goes to the supermarket at the beginning, well before 11 AM when the hillbillie pickups with water barrels and drums start rolling in, stocks up for 2 weeks and locks himself in. Hoping of course not to have another open air karaoke , live "music" beer sales, band stand to promote the surrounding shops and malls and other "happy partying tourists" anywhere near their nightly accoustic circus they already have from racing motorbikes and screwed up, sorry, tuned up cars. And surely the opening hour zones are just a slight idea , nothing serious, after all who needs to sleep or watch TV or even, the gods beware, read a book. Cheers and down the hatch. May the boozers run each other over and leave the grown up people alive. Chaio! 3 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post hotchilli Posted March 23 Popular Post Share Posted March 23 (edited) 3 hours ago, webfact said: Anticipation builds as the Songkran festival in Chiang Mai, set to span 10 days, is projected to pull in millions of tourists, raking in an estimated 20 billion baht in revenue. Chaing Mai one of the most polluted cities in the world. No wonder the PM didn't want to call it a disaster zone, stop all that money coming in, just let the population choke a bit longer... That's how much he cares. Edited March 23 by hotchilli 1 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post nobodysfriend Posted March 23 Popular Post Share Posted March 23 4 hours ago, webfact said: set to span 10 days, is projected to pull in millions of tourists, raking in an estimated 20 billion baht in revenue. They always dream of millions that spend billions ... they count the money before they have it ... greedy bunch of dreamers ... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post LALes Posted March 23 Popular Post Share Posted March 23 This PM is the biggest carnival barker I've ever seen. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Gottfrid Posted March 23 Popular Post Share Posted March 23 (edited) Yeah, of course. Now we see money. Not enough that pollution kills both the citizens and the expats living in the city. Now we need to make tourists sick as well. Edited March 23 by Gottfrid 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post GammaGlobulin Posted March 23 Popular Post Share Posted March 23 Stock up on food, and don't venture forth into the madding crowd. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Brian Hull Posted March 23 Popular Post Share Posted March 23 It won't happen of course. The government's predictions are never even close. I can't imagine grown-up foreign tourists wanting to come to CM to have buckets of water thrown over them. I lived there for 6 years and all the expats stayed indoors and avoided Songkran like the plague. It's only fun for kids and immature adults. 1 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbee2022 Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 5 hours ago, webfact said: in millions of tourists, raking in an estimated 20 billion baht in revenue. Hopefully NOT 🙏🙏🙏 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETERTHEEATER Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 5 hours ago, Pique Dard said: ....who will fill their lungs with an air that may one day make them regret ever having visited this city! Hence the expression "Choke dee khrap" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ujayujay Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 No, millions of tourists don't come to Chiang Mai because of Songkran, every child has now heard about the city with the worst air in the world😩 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudi49jr Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 If you fancy a good pneumonia or bronchitis (or worse), you should indeed come to Chiang Mai. If not, stay the hell away from the heavy air pollution that plagues the north for months every year and that the authorities can’t be bothered to do something about. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardColeman Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 Coming soon, Songkran water tax for foreigners - and blaming them for up and coming droughts for wasting it 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connda Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 5 hours ago, JoePai said: seeks to uphold the local Lanna culture By soaking everyone with water guns ? Lanna culture in the 21st Century: Deadly, choking PM 2.5 "dust" and uncontrolled forest arson and agricultural burning. I talked with my wife and she assures me it wasn't like this when she was younger. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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