Large crowds of people are now visiting ChiangRai’s Tham Luang cave after the movie TheCave screened at theaters in Thailand. The movie is about the dramatic rescue last year of 12 boys and their football coach.
The movie “The Cave” is being shown at theaters nationwide. Tham Luang cave park officials said approximately 3,000 people are visiting the cave in Chiang Rai daily.
The Thamluang Khunnam Nangnon national park also provides trolley service to the cave entrance.
According to park officials, only 50 visitors are allowed to enter the first chamber of the cave at one time. They can also take pictures and tours are for only five minutes.
Tham Luang cave officially opened in November
The Tham Luang cave complex was officially opened for tourists in early November. Two nearby caves will be opened for nature study in the future.
The dramatic rescue of a boys soccer team from Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai, has also turned the area into a sprawling tourist attraction. Drawing well over 1 million visitors since the ordeal captured headlines worldwide last year.
12 young soccer players, members of the Wild Boars (Mu Pa) football team, and their coach were trapped inside the flooded cave in July last year. Their subsequent rescue, after 17 days.
Souvenir shops have sprouted in the cave area of Chiang Rai, in Mae Sai near the border with Myanmar. Selling T-shirts depicting Tham Luang cave and the rescuers.
A statue of Sgt. Maj. Saman Gunan, the retired Thai Navy SEAL who died during the rescue mission, stands near the cave entrance. The gunman was promoted to the rank of Lt-Commander after his death.
A nearby memorial center features a virtual cave, as well as oxygen tanks used by the rescuers. Tourists can pose for pictures by a large mural depicting the rescuers, titled “The Heroes.”
