Call to develop riverside complex

Tourism group to axe casino proposal

Tourism operators support using the land plot previously earmarked for an entertainment complex in Bangkok to attract foreign investors with the same concept excluding a casino, aiming to promote high-value tourism in line with a government pledge.

Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas said on Tuesday the government intends to address long-standing structural weaknesses in the economy, particularly insufficient investment by both the public and private sectors.

Thienprasit Chaiyapatranun, president of the Thai Hotels Association, said the association was appointed last week to a new public-private joint committee organised by the Tourism and Sports Ministry to propel the tourism industry, and it plans to submit a proposal to encourage investment in new attractions.

He said the project on a 520-rai plot owned by the Port Authority of Thailand (PAT) to develop an entertainment complex still holds promise, which was an initiative backed by the Pheu Thai-led government.

The land is located inside Klong Toey Port along the Chao Phraya River in the heart of the city.

While the political landscape has changed, with the Bhumjaithai Party firmly rejecting the legalisation of casinos in Thailand, Mr Thienprasit said the project should proceed without gambling facilities.

Large plots appropriate for an entertainment complex in Bangkok are rare, especially along the river, making it ideal for both land and sea transport if the PAT can build a Bangkok Port Passenger Cruise Terminal as planned, he said.

"The location can attract investors to develop comprehensive facilities to draw visitors, such as meeting spaces for large concerts, hotels, sport fields, or an amusement park," said Mr Thienprasit.

While investing in new facilities outside the capital may help with distribution of income, those locations cannot match Bangkok in terms of infrastructure and they would require enormous government investment in both money and time to establish a large complex elsewhere, he noted.

Many events could fill such a complex, such as international concerts that still lack a suitable venue in Bangkok, as well as conventions and meetings that require large spaces in one location, said Mr Thienprasit.

Visitors to this complex would also help to drive tourism businesses across Bangkok and other provinces, as they would stay in hotels and take post-event trips, he said.

The upcoming 2026 IMF-World Bank Group Annual Meetings will offer proof of this theory, said Mr Thienprasit, as most five-star hotels and several others are fully booked for the event in October.

In addition to brick-and-mortar investment, he said the government should make greater efforts to raise tourism standards if the country wants to achieve high-value tourism.

The perception of quality of life in Thailand remains poor and does not meet tourists' expectations, particularly among families, noted Mr Thienprasit.

For instance, the government should decisively ban the sale of cannabis for recreational use and strictly enforce the law, as this issue has already harmed tourism in Phuket, Bangkok and Pattaya, with families consistently complaining to hotel operators in those destinations about people smoking in public spaces, he noted.