Features

Northern Thailand: Harnessing Thai heritage

4 Oct 2016 by Tamsin Cocks

Plodding through the jungle astride an elephant, like a real mahout, vividly evokes a way of life that has been employed in Thailand for centuries and provides an incomparable way to enjoy Chiang Mai’s unspoilt natural beauty. It’s exactly the kind of rare, authentic experience that modern travellers crave, and has been made possible thanks to the region’s unique combination of history, culture, geography and rising tourism industry.

Located in the north of Thailand, Chiang Mai is surrounded by a beautiful landscape of lush mountains, rice paddies, waterfalls and hill-tribe villages. Less than an hour’s drive from the centre of the provincial capital, you can be trekking in the mountains, rafting down the river, cuddling baby tigers or zip lining through the jungle. It’s a completely different vibe to the country’s other tourist hotspots of paradise beach resorts and fast-paced city life.

And while Chiang Mai is the seventh largest city in Thailand, and the most important commercial and cultural centre in the north, the laid-back atmosphere invokes more of a village feel. Meandering through the low-rise, leafy streets within the old walled city reveals funky restaurants, modern coffee shops, food stalls and boutique shops selling handcrafted goods. Every corner turned reveals a temple (there are more than 300), and there’s a great reverence and respect for the Buddhist philosophy that happily resonates throughout city life.

It’s no surprise then, that the easy-going city was recently voted the best in Asia Pacific – and the second best city in the world – by Travel & Leisure readers, and why there has been a marked upswing in tourism. In 2015, Chiang Mai received a record 2.8 million international visitors. In part, this surge in tourism has been driven by the mainland Chinese market – a familiar story for many destinations these days, but particularly so in this case because of the 2012 smash-hit comedy Lost in Thailand, which was filmed around the city.

Increased connectivity has also helped the region’s rise in popularity. Chiang Mai International Airport has direct services to a growing number of international destinations, including Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Myanmar and Malaysia. In December, Qatar Airways is also due to add a four-times-weekly service from Doha. Looking forward, the airport is working on a development project that will increase its capacity from eight million to 15 million passengers per year by 2022.

Cooking class at the Shangri-La Chiang Mai

Immersive experience

But while the figures have sharply risen, there is something organic about the way tourism has developed, and the hospitality industry has responded in kind. According to Saranya Buntem, communications manager for the Shangri-La Chiang Mai, one of the biggest attractions for tourists is Chiang Mai’s rich culture, which dates back over 700 years before the region became part of modern-day Thailand, and was instead the centre of the ancient Lanna kingdom.

“We have different food, festivals, art and architecture,” she explains. “All of these references are weaved into the guest experience. The first thing you see when you enter the property is the northern-style architecture, while the hotel interior is blended with contemporary Lanna-style decorations, with silk and teak wood. We also put northern Thai dishes on our menu, such as khao soi (curry noodles) and kanom krok (coconut pudding).”

Guests are also included in the Loi Krathong festival, held each November, when locals make decorated floral baskets to float on the river. “We encourage our guests to join in by explaining what the festival is about and also holding a krathong competition between hotel departments, where guests choose the most beautiful. The guests like it because they don’t just come and watch the show but are involved themselves,” explains Buntem.

To further facilitate this craving for authentic experiences, the hotel has launched a new package entitled “Explore and Discover Chiang Mai” – a half-day tour with a curated list of local experiences. “Everyone who comes [to Chiang Mai] wants to find out about the place… and we want people to experience true Thai hospitality and the true Thai culture of our everyday life. So our tour is not about temple hopping, or getting dropped off to take a picture. Instead, we just select one good temple, one market nearby where the local people go, and educate guests in the ways of Thailand,” says Wiyada Sornprapha, Shangri-La Chiang Mai’s director of sales and marketing.

Having a strong and natural integration with local communities has also proved to be a big hit with MICE groups, which the Shangri-La caters for with 277 rooms, the city’s largest ballroom (the 1,515 sqm Grand Lanna Ballroom), a selection of function rooms and plenty of interactive experiences. “Usually when we host an event, we will incorporate some kind of performance, such as a northern-style dance or drum show, to let guests experience Thai culture,” explains Sornprapha.

In fact, Chiang Mai has been actively promoted as a MICE destination by the Thai Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) since 2013, when it launched a five-year MICE development programme for the city. In addition to promoting facilities such as the Rajaphruek Garden Convention Hall and the recently constructed Chiang Mai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, the focus is on the wonderful cultural and natural opportunities available.

1921: The Service restaurant at Anantara Chiang Mai

Another luxury international resort, Anantara Chiang Mai, puts a similar focus on immersing guests in Thai culture. General manager Syahreza Ishwara explains how the hotel creates custom-made tours for guests featuring sites away from the main tourist hustle and bustle, such as a quirky local temple next door, Wat Chai Mongkhon. “There are lots of temples to choose from, but this one is interesting firstly because tourists don’t really know about it, and also because of the activities – you can give donations to the monks, and release birds to the sky or fish and frogs to the river.”

The design of Anantara also clearly reflects Chiang Mai’s tranquil character and heritage, with a focus on harmony with nature: a bamboo-walled entrance, an outdoor pool that merges with a lotus pond, balconies in each room facing serene gardens, and open corridors filled with natural air rather than air conditioning. At the centre of the property stands a former British consulate dating back to 1921 – although this particular slice of history has been interpreted in a rather novel way. It’s now a fabulous spy-themed restaurant named 1921: The Service, complete with memorabilia, secret passageways and “interrogation room” alcoves.

More closely resembling an authentic Thai experience is the Anantara Spa – a tranquil sanctuary where guests can undergo the 90-minute Lanna Ritual that includes a foot bath, full-body massage, pressure-point face massage, singing bowl meditation and finally the chance to write a wish upon a golden Bodhi leaf to be hung at one of the hundreds of temples.

Programmes and activities to immerse guests in local life are prevalent throughout the other international resorts: The Dhara Dhevi Chiang Mai offers guests a daily programme of arts and crafts demonstration, including basket making, bamboo weaving, rice pounding and paper cutting in northern Thai style; the Four Seasons Chiang Mai utilises its countryside location to offer guests a crash course in rice farming; while Le Meridien Chiang Mai gives guests access to Borsang Umbrella Making Centre, a local workshop that creates artisanal parasols.

Small is beautiful

But while luxury international brands have made a presence for themselves, there has been a much greater proliferation of boutique hotels, which seems in keeping with Chiang Mai’s organic and natural character. At the top end of the boutique market is Pillars 137 House, a gorgeous property that is saturated in local history. Whether relaxing on the expansive private verandahs, drinking in the beautiful grounds, sitting in the Jack Bain’s Bar admiring the period details, or wandering around the mini museum of artefacts relating to the property, residents feel intimately connected to the history of the local area.

This connection to the local community is something that general manager Anne Arrowsmith thinks is a major part of the city’s charm. “It feels like tourism has assimilated into Chiang Mai, rather than Chiang Mai changing to accommodate tourists,” she says, and this is something the hotel actively encourages – for example, notifying all guests about the opening of a new bridge so they can witness a genuine local ceremony.

Hands-on activities such as Thai cooking masterclasses are also available. Chef Thiti starts by escorting guests around a local market, providing a running commentary on all the different sights, smells, inspirations and history behind the various dishes on offer. After snagging a haul of fresh seafood (for the bargain price of just THB90/US$2.60), guests then return to 137 Pillars House to master the secrets of creating authentic northern Thai dishes, characterised by fragrant herbs and delicate spices, as opposed to the fiery flavours of the south.

Tucked away in a former private Thai manor inspired by the Rattanakosin era of the 1780s is another tiny boutique hotel – the 11-suite room Sireeampan Boutique Resort & Spa. Guests are greeted with a vivid blue butterfly pea juice with a lemongrass straw and a selection of Thai snacks. Here too, the focus is very much on the local experience – with guests prompted to remove their shoes as they would in a real Thai home, and a “Chiang Mai Getaway Package” that includes excursions to the region’s cultural highlights.

Meanwhile, at another brand-new luxury boutique, North Hill City Resort, guests can enjoy truly local flavours courtesy of a 6,000 sqm private organic farm featuring ingredients from lemongrass to chillies, to be used in both the on-site restaurant and for farm-to-table cooking classes.

Mahouts wash elephants in a river during the elephant bathing time at Mae Sa Elephant Camp, near Chiang Mai city in Northern Thailand

Providing for pachyderms

Of course, one of Thailand’s most iconic symbols is its elephants (particularly so for this part of the country with its logging history), and getting up close and personal with these gentle giants has become big business for tourism. A half day of “mahout training” at the Thai Elephant Home – a reserve located in the jungle about an hour from the city – was an amazing experience, and yet “elephant tourism” has garnered some bad press recently, with a few high-profile accidents in the south. In an ideal world, these majestic animals would be roaming freely in the wild, but the situation is not that simple; after the ban on teak logging, thousands of elephants and their mahouts suddenly found themselves out of work and struggling to pay for the 200kg of food an elephant eats every day.

Thankfully, there are now a number of centres addressing these problems, with the focus on rescuing out-of-work elephants from falling into less ethical practices, and promoting sustainable tourism. One of the pioneers of this approach is the Anantara Golden Triangle Resort & Spa in Chiang Rai, run by director of elephants, John Roberts.

“I think it is great that a spotlight has been shone on the industry, as some camp owners are now looking more closely at their welfare protocols,” he says.  “We don’t do trekking in the saddle because it isn’t a great experience, but we work with the traditional mahout community and design hands-on elephant experiences that leave both mahout and guest enriched – mentally, and the mahout also financially – while the elephants get a lifestyle that includes free roaming time, enrichment – zoologically speaking this time – a forest environment, vet care and balanced fodder.”

The north of Thailand has proved particularly adept at providing sustainable and ethical elephant tourism experiences, according to Roberts, as its combination of suitable terrain and teak logging past has contributed to a greater understanding of elephant needs.

Chiang Rai is also attracting more attention from both leisure travellers and MICE groups – offering the same perks of a rich cultural heritage, unspoilt landscape, and the added benefit of a strategic location in the Golden Triangle and gateway for multi-destination trips to neighbouring Laos and Myanmar.

Unique CSR opportunities include the Doi Tung Development Project, which aims to undo the devastation caused by years of opium production in the Chiang Rai region by improving local welfare. Delegates can contribute to the project by embracing check dam building, and groups can also head to the Choui Fong Tea Plantation for an educational experience in the process of picking tea leaves.

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