'This Week, No One': Hazardous Thai Pollution Deters Tourists

Chiang Mai, Thailand, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Apr, 2023 ) :Hazardous pollution levels in northern Thailand have left the historic city of Chiang Mai choking under thick smog, with locals worried about the impact on tourism -- and their health.

Smoke from forest fires and farmers burning crop stubble has suffocated the tourist city, with global air monitoring platform IQAir ranking it among the most polluted places in the world -- above regular hotspots such as Lahore and Delhi.

Residents have petitioned the government to act, with images and videos of the dense haze capturing public attention in the run-up to May's much-anticipated national election.

On Tuesday, daily life in Chiang Mai continued, even as records showed the level of the most dangerous PM2.5 particles -- so tiny they can enter the bloodstream -- wasa more than 30 times the World Health Organization's annual guideline, according to IQAir.

"It made me want to cry," said Kanchaya Boontan, 40, who runs CM Siam travel, a tourism firm.

"This year is bad, normally pollution is not too long but the foreigners have seen the news," she added, adjusting her N95 mask.

Forced to close all four of her shops during the Covid-19 pandemic, Kanchaya was just starting to get back on her feet by working 12-hour shifts.

But last week, the Thai Hotel Association Northern Chapter warned that domestic tourists were cancelling their Songkran New Year holiday reservations due to pollution levels.

"Last week I got one customer only. This week, no one," Boontan said.

A few streets away by the ancient Tha Phae gate, 45-year-old orange juice vendor Aun tried to drum up business.

"It's affecting my life more and more every day, whether it be my health or the decline in the number of tourists," he said.

"Some days you can barely see the roads ahead, and it's not fog but it's smog."