CHIANG MAI — Tourism is beginning to pick up in Chiang Mai as temperatures fall, with Doi Inthanon and the Bua Tong Waterfall and Seven-Coloured Spring Forest Park among the most popular destinations.
On 16 October, conditions at Doi Inthanon summit and the Kew Mae Pan viewpoint in Chom Thong district were clear, with very good air quality. The lowest temperature was recorded at 10C on the summit, 12C at Kew Mae Pan and 15C at the national park office.
Morning and evening mist has continued as the cool season approaches. Park officials advised motorists to drive carefully on the mountain’s winding roads and use low gears where appropriate.
Jiraniti Chingsa-ad, head of Doi Inthanon National Park, said rainfall had eased and cooler weather was drawing an average of 3,000 visitors a day to the park.
Kew Mae Pan remains a leading attraction, known for its sunrise views over a sea of mist. Other popular sites include the twin royal chedis, Mae Klang Waterfall, Mae Ya Waterfall and Wachirathan Waterfall.
Visitors can also browse flower gardens, temperate fruit orchards and Hmong markets selling seasonal produce, including persimmons, avocados and kiwifruit, as well as roses, hydrangeas and fresh vegetables.
Bua Tong Waterfall and Seven-Coloured Spring Forest Park, on the Chiang Mai–Phrao road, also remain popular with overseas visitors seeking nature and adventure. Located about 3 kilometres from the main road, the site features a series of limestone waterfalls fed by the Seven-Coloured Spring.
The waterfalls run year-round and are largely free of slippery algae, allowing visitors to climb up the cascades. A path and stairs lead from the park office through four levels of the waterfall.
Chalom Wongkum, head of Bua Tong Waterfall and Seven-Coloured Spring Forest Park, said the site attracted between 1,000 and 2,000 visitors daily outside the peak season, rising to as many as 3,000 or 4,000 on some days.
About 20% of current visitors are Europeans, while the remaining 80% come from Asia and the Middle East, he said.
The park expects to be upgraded to national-park status early next year under a Cabinet resolution, Chalom said. Officials are improving campsites, viewpoints, fire pits and other facilities ahead of the cool season.
The park earned more than 1.2 million baht in the previous fiscal year from 600,000 visitors, he said, adding that visitor numbers had already reached 700,000 this year.
Officials are also stressing water-safety measures and waste management. Tour operators are encouraged to take rubbish away with them, while authorities are tightening checks on illegal tour companies and improperly registered vehicles.
Meanwhile, US government agencies in Thailand are holding the American Fair at Chiang Mai Provincial Administrative Organisation Park from 16-18 October to mark the United States’ 250th anniversary.
The free event features live music, swing dancing, jazz and marching-band performances, a corn maze, pumpkin garden, food demonstrations, climbing activities, exhibitions and more than 40 booths featuring American food and local businesses.
TAT Chiang Mai office director Keng Chaiwarin said visitor numbers were up 5% from the same period last year, provided weather conditions remain favourable.
He said direct flights from the Middle East, China and Taiwan were supporting the recovery, alongside European and US visitors travelling through Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son.
From January to August, Chiang Mai welcomed more than 7.8 million visitors — 2.2 million international and 5.6 million domestic travellers — generating 73.99 billion baht in tourism revenue, according to the TAT office. The occupancy rate stood at 65.22%.
The office expects more than 1 million visitors a month in November and December, driven by the Yi Peng and Loy Krathong festivals, and forecasts that annual visitor numbers will exceed 10 million.
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