Published: 10/05/2011 at 12:00 AM
The government needs to spend about 240 million baht to expropriate or buy land around the Bang Sai Royal Folk Arts and Crafts Centre for its bid to host the World Expo 2020 in Ayutthaya.
The Bang Sai Royal Folk Arts and Crafts Centre in Ayutthaya province.
Clear plans for the 400-rai area must be made before representatives of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) inspect the site in November this year.
Ayutthaya governor Withaya Pewpong said the expo site needs space of about 2,000 rai and the province needs to acquire another 400 rai to add to the arts and crafts centre, which covers about 1,600 rai.
"We must prepare everything and show our readiness to the BIE when its officials visit and inspect our site," he said.
Mr Withaya said a public hearing about the expo showed that local people supported the event as it would bring investment and tourism to the country's old capital.
The two main concerns are flooding and a shortage of hotel accommodation. However, the governor was confident that the province could deal with these problems, saying floods would not affect the expo as the event would be organised from Jan 15 to July 15, which is not the rainy season. Moreover, the expo site is not an an area prone to flooding.
Ayutthaya has 20 hotels with 3,000 rooms. The number of rooms could not serve demand from the 200,000 visitors expected to attend the expo each day. However, some could stay in hotels in Bangkok, which is only a 50-minute drive from Ayutthaya.
The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) reported that Ayutthaya could draw about 36 million visitors and generate income of 61.84 billion baht from tickets and sponsorship if it is selected to host the six-month event. There would also be a multiplier effect on the provincial economy of up to 194.36 billion baht during the expo.
"Since the government announced it would nominate Ayutthaya as the site for World Expo 2020, its tourism has clearly grown. We project local and international visitors will increase 25% to five million and tourism revenue will reach 5 billion baht this year," Mr Withaya said.
Plans will be drafted to identify proper industrial, agriculture and residential zones around the expo site in Ayutthaya.
The TCEB also plans a logo and mascot design contest, with results announced in July. The winning logo must reflect the strengths of Ayutthaya and Thailand, the expo theme and internationally accepted quality.
In the 2012 fiscal year, TCEB will receive 100 million baht to promote the expo project, up 50% from 2011.
Credit: Bangkok Post (www.bangkokpost.com)
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