AS THAILAND reopens more tourism spots, the northern city of Chiang Mai is set to be next on the list to welcome back local and foreign tourists.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the tourism sector last year, Chiang Mai's economy has been badly affected as its tourism was one of the pillars of its economy that contribute much to the local and national economy.
A Bangkok Post special report said that Chiang Mai, dubbed the "rose of the North", has been at an economically painful standstill for more than a year.
Chiang Mai is closely tied to the wellbeing of Thailand's economy as the province's tourism revenue exceeded 100 billion baht in 2019.
However, it tumbled to 43 billion baht last year when the first and second outbreaks hit the country.
Although businesses are looking forward to its reopening soon, obstacles remain due to issues such as low vaccination rates and tourist segmentation.
Chiang Mai is one of seven major destinations that the government chose to pilot the tourism sandbox project, which includes Phuket and Samui Plus.
Authorities have even coined the theme "Charming Chiang Mai" to promote the province.
All sandbox destinations require foreign tourists to be fully vaccinated and they must test negative before being allowed to travel.
Chiang Mai's reopening was initially scheduled for Oct 15 but there were fears that it may not be realised due to the flare-up of Covid-19 infections nationwide.
However the recent reduction in cases have renewed hopes of a reopening as early as Oct 1.
A requisite for reopening is that at least 70 per cent of locals have to be vaccinated and four districts - Muang, Mae Rim, Mae Taeng and Doi Tao - were chosen for the local sandbox model and they are close to hitting the vaccination target.
Governor Charoenrit Sa-nguanrat said 30 per cent of Chiang Mai's tourism had relied on foreign tourists while 70 per cent were local tourists.
He said local tourism operators were gearing up for a reopening to harness the high tourism season towards the year-end.
The governor said that with the general outbreak situation in Chiang Mai appearing to have stabilised, Oct 1 has been set as the date for the Charming Chiang Mai launch.
"We are prioritising the health and safety of the people here. Vaccination progress and infection rates are constantly reviewed," he said.
According to the Post, the four model districts provide a benchmark on when the reopening can begin.
If the province is not ready to open by Oct 1, selected areas or establishments such as restaurants, spa shops and golf courses will resume business first with customers being fully vaccinated.
Even in the four districts, only areas which meet health safety standards can reopen, he said.
Dr Jatuchai Maneerat, chief of the Chiang Mai provincial health office, said the province targets to inoculate 1.25 million people but only 38 per cent of them have been immunised.
"If a steady supply of vaccine can be ensured, we look to be on course to attain the 70 per cent vaccination goal this month," he said.
News of the imminent reopening has brought cheers to the various fields involved in tourism in Chiang Mai.
Pallop Sae Jew, chairman of the Tourism Council of Thailand, said more than 5,000 tour guides in Chiang Mai are currently out of work now.
The reopening will provide work again for at least some of them.
He said some 1,000 foreign visitors from Europe may return to Chiang Mai if the province reopens as planned in October.
In the first phase of its relaunch, the Chiang Mai sandbox is expected to pull in tourists from Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, which are the traditional, pre-Covid markets for the province.
Visitors from other countries such as China and Europe are likely to return later.