Thailand eyes Disneyland-style theme park in EEC to boost mega projects
Proposed world-class attraction in Eastern Economic Corridor is being floated as a new magnet project to drive year-round tourism and help unlock investment in three-airport high-speed rail link and U-Tapao’s aviation city.
- Thailand is proposing a globally recognized theme park, specifically mentioning Disneyland, to be built in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) as a "magnet project" to attract tourists.
- The primary goal of the theme park is to create demand and provide a necessary incentive to accelerate major infrastructure projects, such as the high-speed rail and U-Tapao airport, which are currently stalled.
- Officials aim for Thailand to host the first Disneyland in the ASEAN region, and the government has been tasked with finding suitable land and designing incentives for investors.
- The proposed location is within the EEC in Chonburi, near a planned national sports complex, as part of a larger development hub that would include hotels, a new city, and transport links to the high-speed rail.
Disneyland, the world-famous theme park brand owned by The Walt Disney Company, has multiple locations worldwide, including four in Asia: Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea in Japan, Hong Kong Disneyland in Hong Kong, and Shanghai Disneyland in China.
Over the past several months, Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn has repeatedly said Thailand is ready to attract a global theme park such as “Disneyland” to operate in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), to make Thailand home to Asia’s fifth Disneyland.
In his latest remarks, Phiphat said the high-speed rail project linking three airports (Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi and U-Tapao) and the U-Tapao airport and Eastern Aviation City development “will not happen” without creating new incentives.
According to the minister, the urgent task is for the Office of the Eastern Economic Corridor Policy Committee (EECO) to analyse and design incentives to draw people into the area, which would then support incentives to accelerate construction of the infrastructure projects, as they are currently not seen as worthwhile investments for operators.
He also said that, beyond the planned 240-hectare national sports complex, including a world-class football stadium with a capacity of 80,000 seats to host international sporting events and major entertainment events and concerts, to be implemented by the Sports Authority of Thailand, the EECO has been instructed to consider securing additional land for “magnet projects” to attract tourists, including an entertainment complex without a casino.
On further magnet projects, Phiphat said a theme park could be another factor encouraging both Thai and foreign visitors to travel and take holidays throughout the year.
He added that such investment should involve a globally recognised brand, and has proposed that the EECO explore negotiating rights for Disneyland to be developed in Thailand, noting that Disneyland currently has no location in ASEAN, and that securing the rights could create significant opportunities to boost tourism.
Studies indicate a Disneyland theme park would require 144–480 hectares, he said.
The EECO has therefore been tasked with studying and identifying additional land in the EEC provinces.
Land near the planned national sports complex is largely under the Agricultural Land Reform Office, and there is a possibility of expropriating a combined area of around 1,600 hectares, which would be sufficient for a theme park.
The minister added that any theme park development would have conditions, including that it must not be located near a casino.
That would allow the area to become a complete hub, combining a global-event sports centre, shopping centres, hotels, and a new city with housing.
“I believe Thailand is ready to invest in Disneyland because we have good service, great food, and a climate that is not too hot or too cold. We are located in the heart of ASEAN and next to the ocean, which supports travel,” Phiphat said.
He concluded that these projects would be magnet projects attracting tourists and investors, and that Disneyland would be a key draw that could help energise the high-speed rail project and U-Tapao airport.
Following the announcement, Thai investors have already contacted authorities to express interest in co-investing in Disneyland in Thailand, he said.
Separately, Chula Sukmanop, Secretary-General of the Eastern Economic Corridor Policy Committee, told Bangkokbiznews that the theme park plan would be located in the EEC Capital City (EECiti) smart, liveable new city development, described as the “capital of the EEC”, covering 2,339 hectares in Huay Yai sub-district, Bang Lamung district, Chonburi, where sports and recreational facilities are planned under a sport & entertainment complex concept, without a casino.
The initial plan for the sports and entertainment centre is expected to use around 240 hectares, Chula said.
Clustering projects in the same area and industry would strengthen the site’s potential and drive growth in related service industries, he added.
The EEC also plans to develop transport infrastructure to make travel more convenient, noting that EECiti is within 20 kilometres of the Pattaya high-speed rail station, and that a monorail system is planned to connect from the high-speed rail station.
“Disneyland could be developed in the EEC because the site is already suitable for construction, but there must be investors interested in operating it. The EEC believes that building a sports centre and a theme park would generate significant demand in the area, and for convenient connections to the high-speed rail, a feeder transport system from the Pattaya station is necessary,” Chula said.
