Chiang Mai regulates Night Bazaar to bring back tourists

[CMfoodie]

CHIANG MAI, 19 November 2014 (NNT) - Mr.Suriya Prasatbundit, Chiang Mai governor, led a team of provincial officials to inspect the reorganization of stalls and trolleys around Chiang Mai Night Bazaar located on Chang Klan Road, Mueang District, in order to restore its reputation as well-known tourist attraction. - See more at: http://thainews.prd.go.th/centerweb/newsen/NewsDetail?NT01_NewsID=WNECO5711190010007#sthash.sWNg4pqC.dpuf

[khwaibah]

The Chiang Mai Municipality gave up on the Night Market shortly after the Sunday Walking St was intoduced and this area of Chang Klan Road has been in serious decline.

[CMBob]

Seems to me there is nothing the City can do to improve the traditional Chang Klan night market. As noted, it has been declining for years and I'd lay that at the feet of other/better options - the Wualai market, the huge Sunday walking street on Ratchadamnern, and even the vastly improved/bigger night market at Anusarn Plaza. Plus - probably due to those same factors - the Thais simply don't go there any more.

There was a time that I'd walk down the street (Chang Klan) because it was damn near impossible to walk down the sidewalks due to the crowds. Those times have been gone for years.

[harada]

Did the Governor mean pending reorganisation, I was there over Loy Krathong and it didn't look any different, the only difference was that stall holders had tripled their prices to compensate for the lack of tourists ???.My wife priced a pair of shoes for our son ( both Thai ) the stall price was B1500 we purchased an identical pair at Airport Plaza for B500. When my wife asked the stall holder why the price was so high he said that it was because there aren't many tourists around.

[jabis]

Did the Governor mean pending reorganisation, I was there over Loy Krathong and it didn't look any different, the only difference was that stall holders had tripled their prices to compensate for the lack of tourists ???.My wife priced a pair of shoes for our son ( both Thai ) the stall price was B1500 we purchased an identical pair at Airport Plaza for B500. When my wife asked the stall holder why the price was so high he said that it was because there aren't many tourists around.

so profound Thai logic

[scd]

The ongoing makeover of the Night Bazaar is due to "Beer Chang", as he is known, basically taking over the entire area.

Funny that the authorities are trying to attach their name to it though, and giving the impression that they are in control of the development of the area when they are not.

And for what its worth, it is still day in day out the number one tourist attaction in Chiang Mai in terms of numbers, so the Gov missed the mark there as well.

The new boss brings money but his vision, from what i can tell, is for a modern shopping strip, definitely not what existed in the past and still partially exists to this day.

I wonder why he thinks killing off what was unique about the place, and turning it into a carbon copy of thousands if not millions of streets around the world, will bring an influx of tourists and their associated dollars?

If it continues the way it is the place will be completerly unrecongizeable from its roots in say 10 or 20 years.