This annual phenomenon arrives when the Chinese, European, and North American schools return to work, and with the ringing of the academic bell, so the parents terminate their own holiday seasons.

This graph shows that monthly arrivals have a reasonably consistent pattern. February 1998 & 2001 showed unexpected dips, although the arrivals ‘crash’ in December 1999 should have been predictable. The latter due to all the technophobia (of flying etc.) whipped up by the gurus of geekdom in computerland, as well as the scale of Millennium celebrations planned outside Asia generally. The depressed arrival rate of February 2001 was when Millennium partygoers had to pay their credit card statements. TAT should learn from this and start preparing for the 2099-2100 parties now.
Following September 11, the 2001 arrivals remained below par until December, at which time they soared beyond any possible predictions to push arrivals over that magical ten million. Convenient boost huh? With such growth in December, why was the first month of 2002 below its 2001 counterpart? Delayed Millennium computer glitch, or Dept of Propaganda confidence boosting at year-end? Generally though, 2002 so far is building towards the healthiest year yet.

There would be little of surprise in the analysis of monthly arrivals were it not for the constantly repeated observation, by many service industry operators around Chiang Mai, that they are seeing fewer tourists every year. Although there is some validity in the argument that trade is diluted by the increase in venues, I have to draw from personal experience and state that I agree with their sentiments. Notwithstanding the ‘September Squeeze’, I remember with clarity, the packed bars, restaurants, and streets, of this month three years ago. Perhaps that film ‘The Beach’ did more damage to northern tourism than it ever did to the coral sands. Certainly since it was released, numbers of foreign visitors between the East Moat and River appear fewer.



One crucial trend appears from the monthly arrivals graph. Everyone connected with the industry needs to find ways to increase arrivals during the May-June and September-October arrivals dips.

Suggestions for this would include a closer examination of the annual round of festivals and celebrations that pepper the Thai Buddhist calendar. As a photographic and cultural opportunity, the numerous holidays in June could be promoted, and the rainy season explained more accurately – May-June is not particularly wet and most European tourists pray for days with only 30 minutes of precipitation (especially in the UK). With the rains come fuller rivers and lakes, and thus ‘white water’ water sports promotion could be targeted for these periods. That would be in keeping with the eco-tourism policies of the current government.
September-October can be very wet, and here is the opportunity for indoor events. How about an ‘Indoor Olympics’ with events such as ice skating, ten-pin bowling, swimming (indoors or outdoors?), darts, snooker etc. Chiang Mai has the facilities already. Snooker especially can be a big crowd puller (I do mean snooker, not pool) and there are many international high-profile events around the world – how about the ‘Chiang Mai Invitation World Championships’ with James Wattana, sponsored by Carlsberg or Heineken, and televised by Star Sports? If such an event was in the same month as a ‘Lan Na ASEAN Ice Skating Championships’, and events such as a ‘World Handicrafts Convention’ were hosted, then the autumn dip in foreign visitors could be reversed.

We all know the difference between high and low season, therefore a concerted effort to promote the region overseas during the low season, and domestically during the high season, could be the most beneficial use of marketing budgets and smooth out the twice yearly arrivals trough. Domestic tourists could be a valuable off-set to foreign non-arrivals during the low months.

Naturally, hosting and promoting such worldwide events would require a degree of city beautification. That the Mayor has announced the budget for burying overhead cables in the Changklan and Tha Pae areas is a good start. Such projects are expensive, time consuming, and inconvenience causing; we therefore cannot address too many of these issues simultaneously, yet other projects can be inexpensive, quick to implement, and need not be intrusive during construction.

A first suggestion would be to focus on the area inside the moat and the many rai of derelict land dotted around the old city (see listing in the box for examples). Were the city to acquire these and turn them into urban woodlands or public parks, it would go a long way towards addressing several issues. Green spaces in urban areas are proven pollution filters – the plants and trees trap, and hold, the airborne particles whether they are from smoking exhausts, or from the dust lifted into
the air by passing vehicles. They also provide the well-known oxygen process to improve air quality generally, and people are more relaxed when they have lots of greenery around them. In 1996, Bhichit Rattakul, as the incoming Governor of Bangkok wanted to increase that city’s mere 1,000 rai of green space to 5,000 by the year 2000. By 1999, he had managed to increase it to only 1,789 rai and forecast little hope of reaching 3,000 by the end of his term in the next year.

Part of the problem was that his target was too high, and that he wanted to create too many (expensive) ornamental parks and open grassy spaces. Simple woodland is a far more effective pollution trap, creates more oxygen, and is cheaper to implement and maintain. Mengrai knew that when he built the city – visit the Arts & Cultural Centre near the Three Kings statue for an artists impression of the original city plan.

Secondly, many western cities have local laws placing some of the ‘greening’ burden on local businesses. I shall not name any, but many large hotels,

INSIDE THE MOAT
Derelict land for city parks?
There are two main thoroughfares with many derelict plots
Between Phrapokklao & Ratchaphakinai
1. South side of Wat Chang Man – approx 18 rai.
2. North of Wat Fonn Soi – approx 4 rai (has large
Buddha image = former temple land?).
3. East of Yupparaj School, approx 10 rai in corner
of Ratchaphakinai & Ratvithi Roads.
Either side of Singharat Road
4. Between Chiang Mai Technical College & Hophra
School – approx 18 rai.
5. Between Wat Puak Hong & Wat Muen Ngern Gong
– approx 8 rai.




office complexes, and other buildings have swept away all greenery and installed concrete and tarmac deserts around their buildings’ walls. This has a double effect in a tropical city like Chiang Mai. Apart from the obvious unattractiveness and the dust recirculation properties of hard standings, it also deprives rainwater of access to the earth for natural drainage by absorption. This increases the strain on man-made drainage systems and leads to localised flooding in the rainy season. Each of these properties should be either encouraged or forced to yield a percentage of their external areas to plants and trees.

A third direction in which to address city beautification relates to the many smaller properties and businesses. ‘Old Chiang Mai’ has many small sois where the homeowners (or tenants) take pride in growing quantities of flowering plants, shrubs, and trees, but the same cannot always be said of shop house owners. The latter group appear more concerned with extending their business onto the road, than they do with providing a pleasant and comfortable environment. I’m not going to labour the argument about footpath obstruction or it’s surfacing in this article, rather I’ll focus on the aesthetic qualities of those premises.
Tha Pae Road is probably the best example, but let’s stay inside the moat and look at eastern Ratvithi Road for illustration. From the Ratchaphakinai Road junction to the moat, there are almost no properties displaying vegetative adornment other than the funereal florist, the Irish Pub, and Ga Gade. To be fair, there are long stretches of ‘wat walling’ on this part of the road, but they display few trees soaring above the walls either. It is worth contrasting the inner-city temple-grounds with those at Wieng Kum Kam’s Wat Kan Thom in this respect. Kan Thom is everything I expected of a South East Asian temple; those inside the city are not. Where are the foliate sanctuaries for birds and small mammals?

As a fourth topic, the subject of the architectural expectations of visitors has to be considered. Much of Chiang Mai is now boring box-like concrete caskets. The corridors thus created reverberate the noise from mutilated motor vehicle ‘silencers’, and have become characterless and claustrophobic commercial channels. They are no longer pleasant promenades for holidaymakers, shoppers, or residents. Little in the way of Lanna or even Thai architectural heritage is visible without careful scrutiny. Surely, following Chiangrai’s lead would be sensible in this respect. Local government can encourage local property owners to re-introduce the traditional features of northern architecture – simple, low-cost measures such as galare boards on gable apexes, window shutters (functional or decorative), balcony rails and hanging gardens, would all soften the hardness of the artificial rock used for modern buildings. To earn our ‘Rose of the North’ epithet, let’s see more of those plants outside every building, and return colour to our homes and businesses, replacing the unwashed and flaking, grey and white paintwork of untended concrete convenience.

If we are to regain and maintain our prominence as a tourism centre, we all have to work towards it. Unlike at times of natural disaster, we should not rely on central, or even local, government; we all must play our own part in the re-establishment of the lifestyle and image we want the world to see. Medieval Chiang Mai? Living History? This city can do it – if the residents want to. But if they don’t, they have to stop bemoaning the falling tourist numbers. Invest a little to make a profit – it’s up to you.

By Garry Harbottle-Johnson
email garryhj@cscoms.com
© August 2002