Abridged & Published in Chiang Mai CityLife Magazine – June 2004

CHIANGMAI, Thailand – 14 May 2004

Photographs in travel guides led me to Chiangmai expecting a city filled with monuments to its 700-year history and vistas of uniquely Asian architecture. The reality was somewhat different, and when the initial long-distance travel euphoria wore off, acute disappointment set in for the first two years of my tenure in Thailand’s northern capital city.

It’s the nature of travel industry information that only the good and the beautiful of destinations are portrayed. Tight holiday schedules need filled with pleasure and excitement, while writers and editors often overlook the needs of longer stay visitors.

The Thai government has in the last few years begun initiatives to capture long stay tourists and retiree expatriates, recognising them as significant contributors to foreign currency earnings, but what is on offer to entice them into remaining?

Published in Chiang Mai CityLife Magazine – February 2003

A Level Playing Field – Part 2
CHIANG MAI, Thailand – 5 January 2003

Returning to the tourists interviewed at the end of last year, the other half of the survey considered their opinions of what is good about Chiang Mai, what they enjoyed, and any suggestions they have for further improvement of the city’s tourism facilities. The responses in this section of the survey were less clear-cut than in the section about roads and traffic, although some marginal trends were identified.

Overall, this second part of the survey was favourable to Chiangmai.

Tourists have a wide range of activities and places that they enjoy, and any suggestions they gave fell into the, “try to make it better quality” category. Some of these things are being done, as the following “good news” items will demonstrate…