Celebrating 17 Years:
'Thank You' From the Editor & Publisher

As the Thai people celebrate the ancient tradition of Loy Krathong this month, we'll be celebrating a tradition of our own: 17 years of publishing Welcome to magazine.

Since our first issue, published in November 1986, every year has given us greater and greater pleasure in serving northern Thailand, a region steeped in history and tradition with its ancient cities, magnificent temples and various local cultures. Surrounded by tropical forests and mountains, waterfalls, hot springs and rushing rivers, this fertile land continues to harvest crops that feed much of the Kingdom.

And despite the continuance of ancient tradition and the relaxed lifestyle of the northern Thai (Lanna) people, this region has also embraced modern progress in its own inimitable way. Chiangmai is the hub of the north with a booming tourism industry that offers visitors a chance to learn about, enjoy and take some Thai culture home with them.

Likewise, the Internet has simplified the task of bringing Lanna Thai to the rest of the world. We at Welcome to are also celebrating the 6th year of our web site, www.chiangmai-chiangrai.com. Every minute of the day someone, somewhere in the world, is searching for information about northern Thailand. We have a top listing with more than 250 search engines, and more than 80,000 requests a week from travelers and businesspeople in more than 55 countries.

We were recommended in TIME Magazine, Asian Edition, in the "WEB CRAWLING" column on 25 February 2002. And the San Francisco Chronicle named us as one of the Best Focused websites in the world in its February 2001 "Site Seeing" column.

Local advertisers are of course the lifeblood to our publication, and we give them heartfelt thanks for their support throughout the years. We hope to continue promoting your business! We also thank our readers and subscribers for their ideas in helping us develop and improve the quality of our magazine.

We ask for a round of applause for our dedicated editorial, artistic and marketing staff for executing our vision each month. It's their creativity and hard work that gets the finished product into the hands of Chiangmai visitors.

Every year brings new challenges, and we'll continue to do our best to keep you informed and entertained during your stay in the north.