Thailand presses World Expo claims

Thailand is pressing ahead with its bid to host World Expo 2020 on a site at Ayutthaya, the former Thai capital, 53km from Bangkok.

Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Suraphon Svetasreni will shortly fly to Paris to present Thailand-ªs credentials to host the world-ªs third biggest spectator event after the summer Olympic Games and the soccer World Cup.

More than 70 million people attended the World Expo over six months in Shanghai last year.

Thailand has been represented at 44 World Expos and participated in the first one, along with Japan and China, in Paris in 1900.

The TAT governor said Ayutthaya was accessible from Bangkok by road, rail and river and with almost 66,000 beds available in hotels in the old and new capitals there would be sufficient capacity to accommodate World Expo visitors.

-¬---If Thailand is successful with its bid, the benefits will not just go to Thailand, but all Asean countries,-¬~ he said.

Other cities expected to bid for Word Expo 2020 are Brisbane, Sao Paulo, Copenhagen, Dubai, Houston, Minneapolis, Silicon Valley and Cape Town.

Friday, June 10, 2011

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