The Doi Suthep temple, located in northern Thailand, offers breathtaking panoramas of Chiang Mai and its surrounding verdant mountains. However, in recent weeks, visitors have been greeted by a thick blanket of gray haze, obscuring the cityscape.
Ongoing wildfires have led to severe air pollution in northern Thailand, prompting three provinces to declare states of emergency and resulting in a rise in health issues related to pollution.
This haze poses yet another challenge for the tourism sector, which is already struggling due to the impact of the ongoing conflict between the U.S. and Israel on Iran. This situation has led to disrupted flights and increased operational costs, forcing Thailand’s tourism authorities to lower their international arrival targets by as much as 18%.
Business owners are increasingly concerned that the pollution crisis could further harm their livelihoods. Pitsamai Tuprit, 37, who operates the tour company Kai Rider Travel, remarked, “Chiang Mai’s main attraction is the opportunity to stay in the mountains and enjoy fresh air. But the haze ruins everything.”
The haze has been a persistent issue in Chiang Mai as the region approaches Songkran, Thailand’s new year celebration, which commenced on Monday. The city’s streets are bustling with shops offering water guns and plastic buckets to tourists eager to participate in the festival’s renowned water fights.
Industry representatives have raised alarms about a potential decline in bookings leading up to the holiday, with tour operators like Pitsamai reporting significant customer cancellations due to the poor air quality. She noted that half of her clients have opted out in recent weeks.
Due to the unfavorable conditions, she has decided to cancel most of her tours during the Songkran holiday, stating that “it isn’t worth it, considering the traffic and fuel costs.”
Authorities have attempted to mitigate the haze by inducing artificial rain, but the pollution persists. On Monday, Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency reported nearly 4,600 wildfire hotspots nationwide. Chiang Mai continues to rank among the top five most polluted cities globally, according to the monitoring group IQAir.
This air quality issue is a recurring seasonal problem, largely attributed to wildfires and the practice of farmers burning fields to clear land after harvests. Despite being illegal, this method continues, as many farmers, often contracted by large agribusinesses, cannot afford costly machinery. Weenarin Lulitanonda, co-founder of the Thailand Clean Air Network, stated that “the financial pressures they face make it easy to resort to the cheapest options, like using a matchstick.”
High-profile cases of lung cancer diagnoses have alarmed the community in Chiang Mai. One notable example is Krittai Tanasombatkul, a 29-year-old physician and clean-air advocate who passed away in 2023 despite leading a healthy lifestyle. His story has left many feeling anxious about their health.
Pathanika Poonchai, a food vendor at a school, expressed her concerns, saying, “I don’t smoke or drink, so I wonder why I should be at risk for lung cancer. Everyone deserves access to clean air.” Her five-year-old daughter, Aerin, has been experiencing daily nosebleeds, a common symptom among children exposed to air pollution. A particularly severe episode recently prompted her to question the normalization of such conditions: “Have we just accepted this situation as normal, when this is not how it should be?”
Having grown up in the scenic Chiang Mai, Pathanika reminisces about family camping trips and evenings spent outdoors, activities that are no longer possible during the haze season. Now, her children remain indoors with air purifiers running, and the family saves funds annually to escape to the coast to avoid the pollution.
“It saddens me that they have to breathe this contaminated air. I know it will have long-term health consequences for them,” she remarked.
Some families choose to send their children to other provinces for cleaner air. Those who can afford it invest in expensive positive pressure systems for their homes to filter the air.
Dr. Atikun Limsukon, a specialist in chest and lung health with a private clinic, reported that his patient volume has more than doubled in recent weeks. “Even those who are usually healthy are experiencing acute reactions to the highly polluted air,” he noted, listing various symptoms including blurred vision, chronic rhinitis, and nosebleeds. Vulnerable patients, particularly those with pre-existing conditions, are especially at risk. It is disheartening for him to see previously stable patients readmitted, coughing up blood and requiring oxygen.
“The longer individuals are exposed to air pollution, the greater the health risks, both in the short and long term,” he added. Dr. Limsukon also emphasized growing evidence linking pollution to not just cancer, but also strokes, metabolic disorders like diabetes, and even neurocognitive issues and dementia.
The Clean Air Network is advocating for legislation to establish a Thai Clean Air law, which would impose fines on major polluters and create a Clean Air Fund to assist businesses in adopting cleaner technologies. However, the proposed bill has encountered significant legislative hurdles and opposition from groups concerned about its potential impact on businesses.
Weenarin warned that failing to address these issues could lead to economic repercussions. “Even if environmental concerns are not a priority for you, the tourism industry is vital for our economy. Tourists come to Thailand for its natural beauty,” she concluded.
