Tubing event in Pai draws hundreds of tourists trying to escape summer heat
More than 500 tourists took part in a two-day tubing event down the Pai River in the northern province of Mae Hong Son.
The activity was organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s provincial office on Thursday and Friday, in collaboration with Pai district authorities and many local state agencies and private businesses.
The event was meant to be a belated celebration of Songkran, the Thai New Year which was celebrated in most parts of the country last week and in some areas early this week.
“Tipsy tubing”, the leisure activity of floating down the river on an inflated tube during the dry season, has become popular among tourists visiting Pai district of Mae Hong Son. It is described by some travel websites as “the ultimate backpacker attraction in Pai”.
Tubing is only permitted from November to May when the river’s level is low – about waist level – and is safe for tubing. It is banned on the river during the rainy season, when the water level can reach three metres.
Phanuwat Khatnak, director of TAT's Mae Hong Son office, said on Saturday that more than 500 tourists took part in the tubing during the two days of activity.
He said the event won the backing of local residents and the approval of tourists. The event was a collaboration between the public and private sectors as well as other relevant parties. These included the district office, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Tourist Police, Pai’s tourism business association, and local operators of tubing services, he said.
In addition to tubing, the two-day event also featured musical performances, local cultural shows and sport events, such as beach volleyball and “sea boxing”, in which the boxers face off against each other while sitting on a pole suspended over water. The bout ends when one boxer falls off.
There was also an area where tourists could cool down from the summer heat by taking part in water splashing and getting water sprayed on them.
