PHUKET: Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew has issued a statement directly thanking all those who stood strong in their support in Phuket’s bid to host the World Sepcialised Expo 2027/28.
Thailand failed in its bid for Phuket to host the Expo in the final voting held at the 172nd general assembly of the event organiser, the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), in Paris yesterday (June 21).
The winner was Belgrade, Serbia.
“Team Thailand extends their heartfelt appreciation to all sectors involved in this extraordinary bidding process. Your unwavering support and dedicated efforts have been instrumental in shaping this remarkable journey ,” Governor Narong said in a Facebook post immediately after the results were announced last night.
“Phuket continues to open its arms and welcome visitors from around the world to experience its captivating beauty, rich cultural diversity, and genuine warm hospitality.”
In a separate announcement later, Governor Narong said, “Team Thailand would like to thank all sectors for their support. pushing Phuket to become the host of the world-class expo Phuket Expo 2028 this time.
“Although what we are trying to push will not be achieved in accordance with the goals we set, we can still use the experience we gained from preparing this time. [It has been a] Good lesson for bidding for the right to organise other events in the future,” he added.
“Over the past four years, we have seen the determination of local people, all departments both public and private.
“Believe in the future. If we continue to work together with determination [being a] destination for the next expo is certainly not out of reach.
“Thank you Team Thailand and all Phuket people who always support us well,” Governor Narong concluded.
The failure of Thailand to win previous bids to host international expo events have been blamed on poor government support. That has not been true in the bid for Phuket to host the World Specialised Expo. It has been impossible for any visitor, or resident, to not know that Thailand was contesting to host the event, which was touted to generate up to B50bn in economic value and attract about 5 million visitors, and create 113,439 jobs on the island.
The government set aside a B4.18 billion budget to host the event, which was to be organised by Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), the Public Health Ministry, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and related sectors, and conducted an intensive public awareness campaign since entering its initial bid in 2020.
Venues across the island held events for people to watch the final presentation and voting conducted in Paris yesterday.
Phuket’s three Vice Governors ‒ Amnuay Pinsuwan, Anupap Rodkwan Yodrambam and Danai Sunantarod ‒ led the main event at the Dibuka Cafe & Restaurant on Dibuk Rd in the heart of Phuket Old Town, where the event was live streamed over the internet from 2:30pm to 7:30pm.
The event, joined by a host of other leading provincial figures, drew loud cheers from the crowd as Team Thailand delivered their final presentation on stage in Paris, and cheered Thailand as it progressed through the voting.
