Chiang Mai vs Pattaya

Pattaya leads Chiang Mai by 9 points on the CIRA Index, 68 to 59. Chiang Mai grades better on 2 measures, Pattaya on 7; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Chiang Mai 59, Pattaya 68
• OECD: Chiang Mai 56, Pattaya 64
• UN Tourism: Chiang Mai 63, Pattaya 62
• UNDRR: Chiang Mai 46, Pattaya 59

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Chiang Mai 79, Pattaya 90
• Economy and jobs: Chiang Mai 50, Pattaya 75
• Climate and hazards: Chiang Mai 25, Pattaya 50
• Water and environment: Chiang Mai 63, Pattaya 25
• Community and housing: Chiang Mai 88, Pattaya 100
• Access and continuity: Chiang Mai 50, Pattaya 58

Where Chiang Mai is stronger

• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 75.9 % average annual occupancy (region figure) (Chiang Mai Provincial Government (Office of Tourism and Sports Chiang Mai), Meeting of Heads of Government Agencies of Chiang Mai Province, February 2025, 2024). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 401.5 kg per resident per year (region figure) (Chiang Mai Provincial Administrative Organization via EXRI ASIA, 2024). Between 350 and 450: grade 3/4.

Where Pattaya is stronger

• Largest foreign market: 18.2 % of international arrivals or nights (TravelMole / Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), 2025). Between 15 and 20: grade 3/4.
• Average length of stay: 9.9 nights per visitor (country figure) (Ministry of Tourism and Sports (Thailand) / ThailandStats, 2025). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
• Jobs in tourism industries: 8.9 % of employment in accommodation and food services (country figure) (Bank of Thailand / National Statistical Office, Labour Force Survey (Table EC_RL_009_S4), July 2026). Between 8 and 12: grade 3/4.
• Income per head: 54,948 GDP per capita, USD PPP (region figure) (Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), Gross Regional and Provincial Product Chain Volume Measure 2022 Edition & World Bank WDI, 2022). Between 45,000 and 60,000: grade 3/4.
• Extreme heat days: 5 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Flood hazard: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Eastern Economic Corridor Office / State Railway of Thailand / Marine Department, 2025). At or above 4: grade 4/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Thailand: #38 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Thailand: #38 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Chiang Mai in full · Pattaya in full

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