Prayut lands on Phuket to check Thailand expo bid progress

With him on the trip were Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda, Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin and PM's Office Minister Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana.

Prayut told Phuket locals greeting him that he was not campaigning for the election today. He said he wanted to make sure that Phuket was ready to host the Specialised Expo 2028, a showcase that would promote Thailand as a tourism and healthcare destination to millions of visitors.

“Today Phuket is world famous as one of the world’s best 50 places to visit, so give yourself a big hand for the hard work,” said the PM, referring to Time Magazine's list of the World's Greatest Places of 2023, which featured Phuket as well as the Isaan, the Northeast of Thailand.

“We need to think about the benefits to the country in the long term, which is why I decided to reopen Phuket as the first place in Thailand and sooner than other countries,” said Prayut.

The southern island opened to foreign travellers in July 2021 as Thailand’s pilot scheme for tourism during Covid-19.

“Today we have hundreds of flights landing in Phuket, because the government has kept its promises over the years,” the PM said.

The government’s next mission for Phuket is to seek support from other countries over the next five years for its bid to host the Specialised Expo, he added.

Thailand launched its expo bid in Paris last year with a campaign called “Future of Life: Living in Harmony, Sharing Prosperity”.

Specialised Expos respond to a specific challenge facing humanity and take place every five years between World Expos.

Thailand faces competition to host the expo from four other countries – the US, Argentina, Serbia and Spain. The Bureau of International Expositions will announce the winner in June this year.

The Cabinet last year approved a budget of 4.18 billion baht to host the 2028 Specialised Expo.