Thailand’s air pollution becoming a tourism issue

High pollution levels in Thailand’s northern city of Chiang Mai and surrounding provinces are keeping tourists away and alarming locals, with the government on Monday, April 10, urging residents to avoid outdoor activities. For several weeks last month the city was at the top of air quality information platform IQAir’s global chart on poor air quality, ahead of Lahore, Pakistan and New Delhi, India. Chiang Mai, known for its scenic mountainous views, temples and chic cafés, received 10.8m visitors in pre-pandemic 2019, but hotel bookings in the city have dropped to 45% occupancy, the Thai Hotel Association Northern Chapter president Phunut Thanalaopanich told Reuters on Monday. That is far short of the 80% to 90% expected ahead of this week’s Thai New Year holidays, known as Songkran. Addressing the deteriorating air quality in the north, Thailand’s health ministry urged the public to avoid outdoor activities and wear masks that can filter particles. Chang Mai, Thailand’s third-biggest city, reached 289 on IQAir’s air quality index (AQI) index in March, which measures the level of inhalable fine particles in the air. On Monday it had eased to 171, but was still 19 times over the World Health Organization’s recommended level.<br/>