Tourism Ministry seeks Bt290m for new projects
The Ministry of Tourism and Sports will ask for a budget of Bt290 million from the government to spend on additional construction projects and operate the Chiang Mai Convention Centre.
Of the total, Bt190 million will be used to build a storehouse for equipment, accommodation for staff, golf vehicles and a waste-storage house, while the rest will be for hiring a professional operator to run the centre in the early stages, said Suwat Sidthilaw, the ministry’s permanent secretary.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will be responsible for taking care of the centre. Major construction of the Chiang Mai centre, costing more than Bt2 billion at present, has been completed, leaving only decoration and details of work. It will be in operation by September.
Under the plan, TAT will form a joint venture with a qualified operator to run it. However, the process is time-consuming, especially defining the details of the terms of reference (ToR) and inviting bids. Suwat said the ministry would prefer to work with a professional company. In general, it expects return on investment in 25-30 years. The business and marketing plan must be defined clearly to move forward.
Chiang Mai is considered a destination for business meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE).
Previously, NCC Management and Development Co, the operator of Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok, showed an interest in operating the Chiang Mai centre. Its objective is to integrate its centre network both in the provinces and Bangkok to create innovative products and services.
The company also sees Chiang Mai as having potential for MICE because this northern city will be connected with neighbouring nations under the Economic Quadrangle scheme comprising Thailand, southern China, Laos and Myanmar. That means economic activities will spring up in the Lanna region, creating business opportunities for MICE.
