Air Pollution In Thailand Is Starting To Affect Tourism

The government of Thailand issued a warning about the dangerously elevated levels of pollution in the northern city of Chiang Mai and the areas around it.

For almost all of the last month, the city topped IQAir's worldwide ranking on bad air quality, placing it ahead of the most polluted areas in Pakistan and India. Inhabitants of neighbouring regions were advised to stay inside and avoid any outside activity until the air quality improves.

Due to poor air quality, hotel occupancy in Chiang Mai has decreased to 45 percent from a pre-pandemic high, according to Phunut Thanalaopanich, president of the Thai Hotel Association's Northern Chapter, who spoke to Reuters in a recent interview, as otherwise, the city is famous for its picturesque mountain vistas, temples, and stylish cafés. The figures are a lot lower than the 80-90% prediction made before the Songkran festivities in Thailand this week.

The third largest city in Thailand, Chiang Mai, had an AQI of 289 in March, according to pollution monitoring service IQAir. Even though it had dropped to 171 earlier this week, the number is still nineteen times higher than the WHO's safe limit.

Health officials in Thailand have issued warnings about the worsening air quality in the north, suggesting that people stay inside and use particle-filtering face masks if they must go outside. Authorities in Thailand have pointed fingers at arson caused by both forests and crops.

Last week, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said that his government was working with its neighbours Laos and Myanmar to eliminate dangerous areas in the border region in an effort to reduce cross-border smog.

The city’s residents have also expressed anxiety about allergies and even cancer, as the air pollution levels are getting higher with each day.

 

Source: edition.cnn.com