I feel like in the last year and especially this year there's been an exponential increase in the number of tourists and expats in places I never used to see them. I'm talking about seeing a farang once a week and now 5-10 day. Any one else notice this or is it just me?

 

I don't go in to the actual city anymore except on rare occasions but people in the thick of it have you noticed a large number of people moving to Chiang Mai? I spend most my time these days in Samoeng and I'm seeing tourists riding the loop that weren't there before and even my wives house out in Mae Jo has had a large uptick of expats it seems. Maybe all those YouTube videos about Chiang Mai are driving an influx is my guess.

 

No reason to ask Just curious.

19 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

I feel like in the last year and especially this year there's been an exponential increase in the number of tourists and expats in places I never used to see them. I'm talking about seeing a farang once a week and now 5-10 day. Any one else notice this or is it just me?

 

I don't go in to the actual city anymore except on rare occasions but people in the thick of it have you noticed a large number of people moving to Chiang Mai? I spend most my time these days in Samoeng and I'm seeing tourists riding the loop that weren't there before and even my wives house out in Mae Jo has had a large uptick of expats it seems. Maybe all those YouTube videos about Chiang Mai are driving an influx is my guess.

 

No reason to ask Just curious.

I have not noticed more actual expats in Chiang Mai, but I have noticed foreigner oriented spaces like the new co-working spaces/cafe's with their 100 baht latte's.

 

Some of the condo complexes even have co-working areas a la San Francisco type vibey spaces for digital nomads with cold plunge pools, etc. That's not Thai at all to my mind, it's more foreigners interacting with each other and creating those types of living spaces.

Just now, JimTripper said:

Some of the condo complexes even have co-working areas a la San Francisco type vibey spaces for digital nomads with cold plunge pools, etc. That's not Thai at all to my mind, it's more foreigners interacting with each other and creating those types of living spaces.

I was watching some YouTube channel and they guy was going to move out of Phuket due to the massive influx of Russians, Chinese's and Indians and he mentioned he would never consider CM because of the smoke but all the sheer number of "digital  gonads" 😂 It got me thinking how bad really is it? is it another tourist trap now?

 

Back when I lived in the city over 10 years it felt pretty normal to me and I didn't see big tourist numbers except for a few areas and even then not overwhelming. I think things have changed drastically in the last 10 year, feels like it's past its prime or something. Maybe just me...

31 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

I feel like in the last year and especially this year there's been an exponential increase in the number of tourists and expats in places I never used to see them. I'm talking about seeing a farang once a week and now 5-10 day. Any one else notice this or is it just me?

 

I don't go in to the actual city anymore except on rare occasions but people in the thick of it have you noticed a large number of people moving to Chiang Mai? I spend most my time these days in Samoeng and I'm seeing tourists riding the loop that weren't there before and even my wives house out in Mae Jo has had a large uptick of expats it seems. Maybe all those YouTube videos about Chiang Mai are driving an influx is my guess.

 

No reason to ask Just curious.

 

I've noticed this too, buses of tourists routinely land in Charoen Charoen market now, of all places.

 

I suppose the visa easing has an impact.

1 minute ago, Cameroni said:

I've noticed this too, buses of tourists routinely land in Charoen Charoen market now, of all places.

 

I'm seeing like 10 people a night riding motorbikes around the Samoeng loop. I would go weeks and not see a tourist in the past so it's been dramatic.

41 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

I feel like in the last year and especially this year there's been an exponential increase in the number of tourists and expats in places I never used to see them. I'm talking about seeing a farang once a week and now 5-10 day. Any one else notice this or is it just me?

 

I don't go in to the actual city anymore except on rare occasions but people in the thick of it have you noticed a large number of people moving to Chiang Mai? I spend most my time these days in Samoeng and I'm seeing tourists riding the loop that weren't there before and even my wives house out in Mae Jo has had a large uptick of expats it seems. Maybe all those YouTube videos about Chiang Mai are driving an influx is my guess.

 

No reason to ask Just curious.

Why don't you ask them

39 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

I was watching some YouTube channel and they guy was going to move out of Phuket due to the massive influx of Russians, Chinese's and Indians and he mentioned he would never consider CM because of the smoke but all the sheer number of "digital  gonads" 😂 It got me thinking how bad really is it? is it another tourist trap now?

 

Back when I lived in the city over 10 years it felt pretty normal to me and I didn't see big tourist numbers except for a few areas and even then not overwhelming. I think things have changed drastically in the last 10 year, feels like it's past its prime or something. Maybe just me...

It depends on what you want. I almost moved into the digital nomad building, it felt very comforting to be in a foreigner oriented space with people that were doing nomad stuff.

 

It felt like I was around people who were going to succeed, move on and be successful, rather then stuck older expats who were just existing here with nothing going on with them or broke backpackers looking for wifi. There's something really exciting about being around people who are accomplishing something and not just succumbing to a foreign environment.

 

I don't really need it to be "Thailand" anymore for me though. I have already experienced that. I'm at the stage where I want it to feel more like home (SF Bay Area) and not Thailand. It definately feels like CM is less Thai then it was 10-20 years ago.

 

One particular thing I found disgusting is some Thai guy scaring the pigeon's around Tha Phae gate with a loud plastic barrel and yelling loudly. He does it so they fly up and the Chinese can take pictures with the pigeon's flying around them. If that's not sick tourism, I don't know what is.

14 minutes ago, JimTripper said:

It depends on what you want. I almost moved into the digital nomad building, it felt very comforting to be in a foreigner oriented space with people that were doing nomad stuff.

 

It felt like I was around people who were going to succeed, move on and be successful, rather then stuck older expats who were just existing here with nothing going on with them or broke backpackers looking for wifi. There's something really exciting about being around people who are accomplishing something and not just succumbing to a foreign environment.

 

 

I wonder if the new 5 year visa is drawing in tons of these people. I didn't know about a "digital nomad building" My last house in the city was 2010 I think and Nimanhamen was just  a normal road then. I think most of the younger expats are around there. Changed 180 degrees from what I remember.

 

I'm actually a programmer and always did that to make money in Thailand but this whole digital nomad thing snuck up on me. I've always just worked out of my house and so I missed Chiang Mai becoming a DM Mecca  or whatever is happening. I guess I'm a digital nomad too but please don't call me that. 😂

Here is a good article. It's been happening for years. This was six years ago. It's worse now.

 

https://mythailand.blog/2018/03/05/chiang-mai-paradise-lost/

Noticed a lot more Chinese and Koreans in the city than others. Though our neighborhood is all Thai except for myself, and very quiet 24/7.