The Thai cave at the center of an international mission to rescue a soccer team and its coach has become an unlikely major tourist destination, government officials said.
As rescuers worked around the clock to free the 12 boys and the man who coaches them, Thailand’s Prime Minster Prayut Chan-o-cha said back in 2018 that the cave in the northern province of Chiang Rai was “likely to become famous nationally and worldwide.”
“It will eventually become an important tourist spot,” Chan-o-cha said in a Facebook live video stream from his office. “Therefore we have to come up with (safety) measures to accommodate the tourism activities.”
Tham Luang-Khun Nam Nang Non forest park in Chiang Rai province was a sleepy backwater until the successful rescue mission of the young Thai footballers and their coach made headlines around the world in June.
Since the cave complex in the park reopened on Nov. 16, the site has seen thousands of visitors. People are still not allowed inside Tham Luang cave itself, but more than 100 stalls selling souvenirs, T-shirts and food have sprung up along the road that leads to it.
“This is an amazing thing that has happened for the people in this area,” said Vipa Romaneechutima, who sells lottery tickets near the entrance to the cave. “People tried to make Tham Luang a tourist attraction before, many times, but it never became popular. Now it is famous all over the world because of the boys saved from the cave. We are not just happy because of the money from tourists. We are also very proud people want to travel here to see our beautiful park. It is an honor for us.”
