Tourists shun soaked Chiang Mai

Month of floods results in a dire low season for travel industry across the North

A month of flooding in the North has led to a dire low season in Chiang Mai this year, as tourists cancel plans and avoid the whole region, according to the Tourism Council of Chiang Mai.

This week, the Ping River reached levels not seen since 2011, overflowing into Muang Chiang Mai, including the heart of the municipality’s business and tourism areas.

Other affected areas include the outer district of Mae Rim, which is known for natural parks and adventure tourism activities, where attractions were temporarily closed, said Punlop Saejew, acting president of the Tourism Council of Chiang Mai.

The road connecting Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai was also disrupted, while some hotels reported booking cancellations as tourists delayed their trips.

Mr Punlop said that if there are no new storms forecast, the situation should gradually ease.

However, with a series of floods persisting in northern Thailand since the beginning of September, particularly in Chiang Rai, he said it has dented tourism sentiment for Chiang Mai this month.

“Chiang Mai and neighbouring provinces are often sold as a cluster, meaning tourists usually visit a few provinces during a trip. The flooding results in lower tourism confidence,” said Mr Punlop.

He estimated average occupancy rates in September at only 50%, attributed to the flooding and economic uncertainty, which hampers tourism and spending.

Chiang Mai tourism growth for the year remains flat compared with 2023, said Mr Punlop.

With the province reliant on domestic travel, a majority of Thais remain hesitant to travel due to high domestic airfares and limited budgets, mainly attributed to economic concerns.

Chiang Mai already lost months of tourism revenue during the smog season in early 2024.

As Chiang Mai has new direct flights from China and Malaysia, Mr Punlop said this could create opportunities for a quick recovery during high season, starting from the Golden Week, a national Chinese holiday next month.

He said the revival of the We Travel Together scheme would help drive the domestic market, but the programme should be divided into phases for each region, as the good times for travelling are different in the South, the North and the East.

Wutthiphum Jurangkool, chief executive of Nok Air, said the average load factor of Chiang Rai, affected by severe floods earlier this month, plunged to 50% in September as tourists avoided travel to the province.

He said that even though the airline has maintained its daily flight to the province, most guests are only passengers who need to go there, such as residents who have to return to their hometowns, or volunteers.