Fate of Phuket's bid to host Specialised Expo 2028 to be decided next week
Thailand’s Phuket is among five candidates in the running to host the Specialised Expo 2027-28, which will be decided next Wednesday (June 21) through a vote by the 146 countries who are members of the Bureau of International Exposition (BIE).
Thailand launched its bid for Phuket to host the 2028 Specialised Expo in Paris in June last year, highlighting the southern island’s suitability to host the event under the theme: “Future of Life: Living in Harmony, Sharing Prosperity”.
Specialised Expos are meant to respond to a specific challenge facing humanity and usually take place between World Expos.
The other four countries in contention are: the US, Argentina, Serbia, Spain, and Thailand.
The US has proposed Minnesota as the venue for the fair in 2027, under the theme “Healthy People, Healthy Planet: Wellness and Well-Being for All”. The city is the headquarters of more than 10 Fortune 500 companies in healthcare, nutrition, and medical technology.
Spain, meanwhile, has proposed Málaga, highlighting the city’s sustainable development goals in developing communication infrastructure over an area of 250,000 square metres.
Serbia has proposed to host the fair in 2027 in Belgrade under the theme “Play for Humanity - Sport and Music for All”. The city plans to build a brand new 52,000-seat sport complex specifically for this event.
Argentina wants to host the Specialised Expo 2027 in San Carlos de Bariloche, under the theme “Nature + Technology = Sustainable Energy, A viable future for humanity”.
According to the BIE, the selection criteria for the host of the Specialised Expo include international relationship, roles on the international stage across important topics, geo-political strength, business and economic opportunities, support from the government and local communities.
If selected, Phuket plans to host the Specialised Expo from March 20 to June 17, 2028 on a 141-rai (22.56 hectares) venue in Mai Khao subdistrict, with a 4.18-billion-baht supporting fund from the government.
The province plans to use the budget to build a medical plaza, an international convention centre, an ecological park, as well as develop existing specialised medical centres and transport infrastructure in the province.
The government expects the 90-day expo to attract some 5 million visitors and generate about 50 billion baht in revenue, which will contribute to the country’s gross domestic product by over 40 billion baht and generate employment for over 113,000 people.
