A WINDOW ON PAI (PART 2)
- alessandrobordin5
- Apr 25, 2023
- 2 min read
TURISM AND CHANGE
As I mentioned in the last post, nature is the predominant element within the panorama that frames the town of Pai. Its imposing presence in the valley influences the atmosphere, style and pace of life of this area and those similar to it - even in other parts of the world - far removed from the tireless frenzy typical of large cities and industrial/commercial areas. Very soon, the tranquillity just described became the quality sought after by tourists, mostly foreigners but also Thais, who visit this place every year.
To the magnetic effect caused by the natural beauty of the place and the relaxation it arouses, however, must be added another fact that concerns Thailand as a whole more generally: the important role played by tourism at a national level and the consequent investments in the sector desired by the government in recent decades. The result of these choices is more visible in some areas more than others, but considering the change it has brought about even in more remote areas such as this one, one can easily understand the overall magnitude of the phenomenon.
In the case of this valley, while the environment has not yet been affected, the same cannot be said of the town and its structures, which, especially in the eyes of those who live here and can easily compare a 'before' and an 'after', have changed their face. Although the centre is developed on two main parallel roads and their various branches, it is the style, characteristics and number of infrastructures located in them that have changed. Resorts, hotels, restaurants, tourist spots, and motorbike rental shops carpet every corner of the street. Not to mention the ubiquitous 7-eleven - a supermarket chain that has myriad locations within a few hundred metres of each other all over the country - which was unknown in these parts until some twenty years ago and which today already has two active centres and others under construction.
The activities are usually concentrated in specific areas where tourist activity is basically 'channelled', in the city as well as in its surroundings: suffice it to think of night markets and other realities created ad hoc for the international visitor, such as the 'Bamboo bridge' - expanses of rice fields that can be crossed by crossing a woven bamboo bridge - or the 'Chinese village' - a reproduction of an ancient Chinese village model filled with small shops selling souvenirs and tourist products of all kinds. Having made this general overview and taken note of the diverse characteristics of this valley and the events and activities offered in it, it is not surprising to find various profiles of tourists with equally diverse expectations and interests.
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