High dust levels add to Chiang Mai’s problems

The cycle of unhealthy levels of PM2.5 dust has begun to worsen the sluggish hotel situation in Chiang Mai, which is still suffering from the fresh outbreak and low purchasing power.

“The air pollution, which normally peaks in March, started to affect tourism, especially hotels located in the main city,” said Nantanittaya Sesaweech, assistant managing director of Horizon Village and Resort.

As tourists can check air quality with Air Visual, an application that monitors pollution, they prefer tourism sites outside the city or those close to nature with better air quality.

Horizon Village and Resort, which has a 302-rai garden, received around 30,000 baht from the garden’s entrance fees last weekend, up from 8,000 baht prior to the pandemic spread last year.

Apart from the increasing dust pollution, weak purchasing power due to the economic fallout from the pandemic…