With the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) inspectors due to assess Chiang Mai’s UNESCO World Heritage candidacy, the city is scrambling to put its best face forward — and the to-do list is specific.
Deputy Governor Siva Tamikanon met with Chiang Mai Municipality and relevant agencies on Wednesday to coordinate landscaping improvements across eight designated cultural heritage sites and their buffer zones, with particular attention to the old city moat area.
Officials flagged several eyesores likely to catch an inspector’s eye: oversized billboards near Chang Phueak and Chiang Mai gates, a hotel sign close to Tha Phae Gate, elephant statues at Chang Phueak Gate and unauthorised graffiti on both private buildings and government property.
A major moat-area beautification blitz is planned before the month is out, mobilising provincial administrators, municipal staff, local organisations and volunteers to clean, tidy cables, and repaint footpaths, buildings, electrical boxes and signal cabinets bearing dirt or unwanted spray paint. An information centre is also being established alongside a public awareness campaign to bring residents on board with the World Heritage push.
