Thailand seeks to host World Expo 2020

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Thailand seeks to host World Expo 2020 
Bangkok Post: 10 Nov 2009
www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/27157/tceb-wants-world-expo

TCEB wants World Expo

The Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau is ramping up efforts for Thailand to host the World Expo 2020.

It will put the project on its national tourism agenda which is pending government approval.

Akapol Sorasuchart, the TCEB president, said the bureau would propose the government leads Thailand's team in its bid to host the world event.

The World Expo allows participating countries to showcase their products and technologies.

"If Thailand can host this big expo, it will get a lot of benefits especially in terms of tourism and employment. The Mice-related sector will fully support this project," he said.

The expo project should be included in the national agenda for the meetings, incentive, convention and exhibition (Mice) sector as well.

TCEB would co-ordinate between government agencies and the private sector.

But winning the bid is no mean feat. Contending countries must draw up action plans which detail the facilities and infrastructure developments that will be made to support the Expo.

China will host the World Expo 2010 at Shanghai during May to October. There will be 33 to 35 venues which are expected to draw some 70 million visitors to the six-month event.

"If we want to host it, we need an investment budget as high as 100 billion baht to build a new city to support the event under a unique theme like energy saving," he said.

The private sector wants TCEB to take a leading role in co-ordinating Thailand's efforts to host the 2020 event, he said.