Nikolaus Prachensky, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Austria in Chiang Mai, led executives from Doppelmayr Group, the world-leading manufacturer of cable cars for urban and point of interest mobility, as guests of the Consulate, to pay courtesy calls on the Governor of Chiang Mai and heads of concerned government agencies, including the President of the Provincial Administrative Organisation, Chiang Mai, between June 11-12, 2025.
On this occasion, Doppelmayr Group, founded in 1893 in Austria, introduced itself, exchanged ideas, and presented concepts for using cable cars to benefit the development of Chiang Mai. Preliminary ideas were presented for a route up Doi Suthep, connecting the foot of the mountain near the Chiang Mai Zoo with Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.
Mr. Martin Ladner, an executive of the company, presented that, in the past, cable cars were only used at tourist attractions, but today, cable car transport systems are a global “trend.” This transport system is used in urban areas in many countries, such as London and Paris, as well as other locations in 96 countries. The proposed cable car route up Doi Suthep would reduce traffic going up and down Doi Suthep, reduce travel time from 30 minutes per trip to just 9.8 minutes, and reduce the distance from 11 km to just 2.2 km. This would significantly reduce pollution from exhaust fumes. Furthermore, with modern and environmentally friendly technology in every dimension, construction will avoid clearing forests as much as possible, indeed almost no trees will need to be cut down along the route. Construction time is short, investment and operating costs are low, the structure uses little space, it has energy efficiency, is reliable and safe, and has high transport capacity. He hopes that the cable car system will be both a transportation system for local people and a new tourism landmark that will generate income from tourism for the local area.
During this courtesy visit, Siwakorn Buaphong, Deputy Governor of Chiang Mai Province, acting on behalf of Mr. Nirat Phongsitthaworn, Governor of Chiang Mai Province, expressed his gratitude to the group, and asked the relevant host agencies to consider various approaches that would allow Chiang Mai Province to receive the most benefits from this cable car project.
Pichai Lertpongadisorn, President of Chiang Mai Provincial Administrative Organisation, believes that the project will benefit the people of Chiang Mai and has asked the company’s representatives to carefully consider the proposed concept to cover all dimensions.
On the same occasion, the Chiang Mai Chamber of Commerce also provided suggestions and agreed with the concept of green and sustainable tourism, in which the cable car will greatly help stimulate the tourism atmosphere of the province.
Nikolaus Prachensky, Honorary Consul of Austria, commented that having lived in Chiang Mai for 25 years, Chiang Mai is home. He would like to help make Chiang Mai a more livable city, with sustainable development to reduce pollution and impact on nature and the environment. He also thanked the Governor and the President of the PAO for allowing him and his delegation to pay their respects on this occasion.
For further information and reference, please visithttps://tinyurl.com/DoiSuthepCableCar