Smoke and mosquitoes in Chiang Mai

Hello,

Pollution is very bad at the moment in the North, you can read 2 articles recently posted online, even school kept children indoor, no PE, no morning assembly....

3rd March - Health fears in the North as smog spreads
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/nationa … 55202.html

4th March - Smog linked to jump in heart attacks
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/nationa … 55282.html

Regarding mosquitos, if you have kids what I use for my daughter is a Mosquito Repellent Patch with natural Citronella Oil Extra, the name is MOSSI GUARD, I just stick it on her cloth on morning before going to school it protects up to 12 hours. You can buy it in any pharma by small quantity 1 sheet ( 2 patches ) for around 25 THB or a full box of 30 sheets ( 60 patches ), I buy them online as I order in general 3 to 4 boxes each time ( I pay 400 THB but in Pharma it can cost 650 - 750 THB unless there is a discount..

Thank you for this information.
One more question: do you think it is possible to get accommodation in a guest house or similar in the middle of June if I need to? I have booked the first two weeks in a home stay.

Check online directly for accommodation, you should not have any concerns to book something, I just had a look at guest house in Chiang Mai on Tripadvisor and there are 523 listed there with clssification and reviews, or use your search engine if you know which one you are looking for. Better to book in advance but if you have somewhere to stay first 2 weeks you can call once here but not sure you will get your first choice, in all the cases the number of tourists visiting Thailand have declined.

Thank you. Have visitors to Chiang Mai declined? That's where I'll be and I read that a lot of Chinese tourists now go there. I haven't been there since 2009 so not sure.

Statistic are for last year 2014, they hope a recovery for 2015 ( no datas published yest for current year ), this is tourism for all Thailand. Tere are also the crisis in Russian and Rubble devaluation which affect tourists from this country.Yes that is sure they will focus on China to attract them due to the proximity despite there were some concerns or bad behaviour from some of them, and don't forget Thailand is still under martial law.

Below technical details from internet >>

However, 2014 saw the industry fall by 19 per cent in the first three quarters with political upheaval and the murders of two British travellers causing countries to warn their citizens about visiting the Southeast Asian nation.

The end of last year was a difficult one for Thailand as it struggled to recover from these two incidents and the economy felt the drop in tourism revenue. The Tourism and Sports Ministry alone found itself down by 42 per cent on the previous year (575 million dollars) for the 2015 fiscal year, which reflects the impact 2014’s dismal tourism performance had on the economy.

owever, the government is ready to start 2015 with a push for recovery and Thailand’s future prospects. The Bangkok Post reports that the government has already approved a higher budget for tourism spending in 2016 as well as promising to increase the standard of security and safety for international tourists who visit Thailand.

Tourism and Sports minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said: "We must focus on rising tourism income instead of increasing tourist arrivals. The government realises that tourism is an important sector to generate hard currency for the country."

Predictably, the Thai government has highlighted the need to attract Chinese tourists as a target for this year, with the demographic likely to increase its travel spend again in 2015. The amount of Chinese travellers has been growing at an incredible rate since 2012 and many countries are increasingly upping their efforts to draw in this lucrative type of traveller.

Thailand is perhaps one of the best placed nations to act on this due to its proximity to China and the fact that it is already popular with Chinese tourists. In 2013, 4,997,216 people travelled from China to Thailand. The Thai government has said that it will move to make the visa application process much easier for citizens of the Asian superpower, which will likely have a positive impact on tourism figures.

Another big play for Thai tourism this year will be the "2015 Discover Thainess" campaign that is set to be launched early this month (January). The main aims of the project will be to boost inbound foreign visitor numbers to 28 million and increase revenues by 16 per cent.

The initiative, put together by the The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), was launched last November at the World Travel Market 2014 (WTM) and will be officially unveiled in Thailand by six elaborate parades which TAT hopes will inspire foreign tourists to travel to the country.

Ms Kobkarn told Tat News: “This new campaign for 2015 emphasises on the priceless treasures of Thailand, which gives Thainess its charm and makes us unique as a people, society and culture.

“The 2015 Discover Thainess campaign will offer the chance for foreigners to appreciate the essence of ‘Thainess’ through the Thai way of life, Thai culture and Thai experiences. This distinctive character of “Thainess” is the magnet of Thailand, which draws tourists to explore and share their experiences with local Thai communities.”

After such a bad year - albeit by Thailand's lofty tourism standards - it seems that the government and major tourism bodies have really banded together to revitalise the Thai tourist industry. With 2015 being but a week old, it is impossible to assess how successful the country will be in coaxing back the travelling community. It remains to be seen if the damage of 2014 can be repaired and if so, by how much.

Thanks for this!
What does martial law mean for tourists? How does it impact on a line tourist like me?

While martial law sounds really bad, it should not affect your holiday plans much.

Generally, as a tourist, you won't notice much of a difference. You may see some armed soldiers guarding TV stations and buildings, the attractions will be opening at the same times, and the beer will keep flowing.

Last year there were some curfews between midnight and 4am but this has been lift.

In Chiang Mai you will not notice that much difference and even not see the presence of the army.

Whichever the last ousted PM or the previous one in exile, both are from the same family Thaksin, originally from Chiang Mai