About Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai has a distinct ambience, unique from other parts of Thailand. Attractions and activities extend from the 'Old' in the walled city to the 'New' where modernity has expanded the city area significantly. Temples, festivals, gardens and nature are just some of the things to be seen and experienced.

Chiang Mai International Airport is the most important gateway for the northern part of Thailand. It is the fourth busiest airport in the country and handled 69,202 aircraft movements and over 9.4 million passengers in 2016. The international arrival hall and domestic departure hall were enlarged in 2014 and airport hours were extended to 24/7 from April of that year. Upgrade plans include the addition of an eighth apron for large aircrafts.

Chiang Mai has 15 convention centres, two exhibition centres and four unique venues totalling a capacity of 30,000 sqm. These include Rajaphruek Garden Convention Hall, which hosts the Chiang Mai International Horticultural Royal Flora Rajaphruek, Chiang Mai University Convention Hall, Chiang Mai Hall, Empress Convention Centre, Chiang Mai Grand View Convention Hall and Lotus Pang Suan Kaew Convention Hall. Chiang Mai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (CMECC) is one of the biggest convention and exhibition centres in Southeast Asia and features trade show events. It has usable space of 60,000 sqm and can accommodate more than 10,000 show attendees. Together with TCEB, Chiang Mai created a five-year master plan to become a MICE hub by 2017.

With its mountain/jungle/rain forest Chiang Mai can make for the perfect wedding hideaway, appealing to those looking for a more laid-back wedding, while in the city the upmarket resorts are mostly located alongside the riverside and offer fantastic views and lush landscaped gardens.

With a long, colourful history, Chiang Mai is renowned for its art, culture and relaxed pace of life. Many beautiful temples and historic walls decorate the tranquil city, which nevertheless has a busy international airport with regular flights to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

Outside Chiang Mai, northern and north eastern Thailand have a distinct charm that makes the area ideal wedding and honeymoon destinations for those adventurous enough to seek out all the possibilities.

A surge in business and leisure tourism, along with commercial and residential property developments, has increased the need for the improvement of the current infrastructure. Transportation projects are in the works to assist economic growth. Such projects include a link with the R3A highway which connects southern China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand; the building of a fourth ring road around the city; the construction of a high-speed rail route between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, which will serve to reduce time travelled by 50%. A new international hospital opened in 2014 to complement the existing private ones catering to most expats. There are several shopping malls with more planned for construction.

More than 70,000 domestic and international MICE travellers contributed around 4.5 billion baht in 2013 to the Chiang Mai MICE industry. With world-class business facilities, stunning attractions both in the city and in Chiang Mai province, outstanding Thai food with Northern specialties and the warm hospitality the country is famous for, it’s no wonder Chiang Mai has become an increasingly attractive and favoured destination for business events and for holidaymakers from Thailand and the ASEAN region.