River tubing in Northern Thailand approved by TAT, local authorities

A video clip showing more than a hundred foreign tourists tubing along Pai River went viral on TikTok and social media earlier this week, reports Bangkok Post.

Phanuwat Khatnak, Director of TAT’s Mae Hong Son office, said safety regulations for this activity included a limit of 150 participants per tubing and a minimum of one employee per 12 participants, with life jackets provided to everyone.

Sound amplifiers and alcoholic drinks are prohibited* to minimise noise, which would impact locals along the river. The operators also need to collect any waste produced by participants.

Mr Phanuwat said these regulations were created at a meeting of the TAT Mae Hong Son office, Mae Hong Son police, and private tourism operators in November last year. If the rules are not followed, the province will ban operators from providing these activities in the future.

According to Mr Phanuwat, river tubing had been taking place for many years, but only gained popularity among foreign tourists last year after Thailand reopened its borders.

Tubing is offered to tourists only from November to May when the water level is low, roughly 50 centimetres or waist level, which is deemed safe for playing. The activity is prohibited during the rainy season as the water level can reach 2-3 metres.

Mae Hong Son welcomed more than 190,000 visitors last month, of which 20% were foreign tourists, according to TAT. The province is expected to welcome 1.6 million visitors this year, with foreign travellers increasing to 30% of the total in 2023. In 2022, the number of visitors to the province tallied 1.5mn thanks to a surge in domestic tourists, accounting for 80% of the total.

TAT Mae Hong Son is promoting the province via local village experiences, wellness retreats, and road trips to the province via its "dragon trail" of 4,088 curves on the highway from Chiang Mai. The province is also popular among bikers from Malaysia and Singapore.

*The Phuket News editors are aware that travel blogers promote the activity as “tipsy tubing”. TAT claims that drinking alcohol is prohibited to participants.