World Expo 2020 dreams fizzle out for Thailand

THAILAND’S MICE and tourism industries were left bruised after the country’s bid to host World Expo 2020 was rejected due to a lack of government support.

No one has accepted responsibility for the failure, with the opposition Democrat party blaming the government, which in turn has pointed the finger at the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) for dropping the ball.

The Paris-based Bureau of International Expositions (BIE), which oversees the world fair, told TTG Asia the reason why it rejected Ayutthaya as a potential host for the 2020 event was clear.

“The government did not reiterate its support for the bid,” said a BIE spokesman. “Without support for the bid there is no point in going ahead.”

TCEB declined several opportunities to comment on the matter. However, Sumate Sudasna, president of the Thailand Incentives and Conventions Association, who also sits on TCEB’s board, said the rejection would damage the country’s international standing.

“It’s a loss of credibility, of confidence (in Thailand),” he said, adding the decision could weaken Thailand’s chances of hosting other world-class events of a similar scale. “If we have the chance to do things (bid for major international events) in the future, whoever is putting the bid together will have to be more committed.”

Thailand’s foreign minister and deputy prime minister, Surapong Tovichakchaikul, was quoted in the Bangkok Post as saying that TCEB was to blame for BIE’s decision, as the bureau had been unprepared and lacked information about proper bidding procedures.

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