New five-star hotel in Chiang Mai, Thailand, first since pandemic began, to be opened by Spanish chain Melia A room at the Melia Chiang Mai, which will open in the city centre of Chiang Mai, Thailand, in the fourth quarter of this year. Photo: Handout
Like many cities in Southeast Asia that rely heavily on tourism, Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. With no international tourists having arrived for 18 months, most small tourism-related companies have simply gone out of business.
Occupancy in 40 Chiang Mai hotels surveyed by the Northern Chapter of the Thai Hotels Association has been less than 10 per cent throughout 2021, according to its president, La-iad Bungsrithong, and more than 70 per cent of people in tourism-related businesses have lost their jobs since the pandemic began.