Tourism council recommends theme park

BANGKOK, 12 June 2012: Tourism Council of Thailand has drawn up a recommendation to build a ASEAN Family Theme Park that will be presented to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra during her next mobile cabinet meeting in Pattaya, 17 June.

TCT president, Piyaman Tejapaibul, estimates the project could supply as much as Bt2 trillion in tourism-related earnings over five years.

“Thailand needs a new mega man-made attraction to compete in regional tourism,” she said.

“We would recommend a site in a province that does not have much to offer in tourism, but is close enough to Suvarnabhumi Airport. It would include hotels and shopping complexes to support the park.”

TCT did not elaborate on whether it was recommending that the government invest directly in the project or whether it would be floated as a joint venture with a reliable theme park operator.

In addition, the council recommended the government invest and promote a Royal Barge Museum in Bangkok close to the Grand Palace.

TCT president suggested: “Light and sound shows  should be staged along the Grand Palace’s walls to attract tourists at night.”

The council’s theme park recommendation will not go down well with everyone on the tourism industry, particularly those who believe the country should focus on its heritage assets and achieve quality tourism goals rather than copy other ASEAN nations.

Singapore is cited as a destination that is packed with man-made attractions such as its mega casinos that earn billions in cash for their owners while the state gains tax revenue. They are cleverly promoted as integrated family resorts, but that is largely a marketing gimmick as most of the  revenue earned at the resorts is linked to gaming tables.

Thailand is one of the few countries in ASEAN that officially bans casinos, although its neighbours are operating casinos close to all of its overland border checkpoints.

Sourced: ttrweekly