Thai Hotel Association makes a pitch for future entertainment complexes

• Thai Hotel Association has discussed the upcoming entertainment complexes
• President Thienprasit Chaiyapatranun has suggested secondary locations as better alternatives to the proposed sites
• Thailand needs to make sure that the entire process happens transparently

Entertainment complexes are happening in Thailand, but the details remain a moving target. After the government announced that it had selected four locations for future properties, and specifically Bangkok, Chonburi, Chiang Mai, and Phuket, numerous parties have rushed to make suggestions about this plan.

Secondary cities should get a share of the entertainment complex pie

Although the locations are still not final and subject to debate, the Thai Hotel Association (THA) saw it appropriate to pitch in its own suggestion. According to THA President Thienprasit Chaiyapatranun, referendums ought to be held in the provinces where such entertainment complexes are debated and looking to expand.

Thienprasit is not the only one to raise doubts about the proposed locations. Various Thai academics have argued that casino resorts may be entirely unsustainable owing to numerous factors that have to do with the country’s ability to regulate high-risk sectors such as gambling.

However, Thienprasitis not opposed to the idea of casino resorts in general, but rather, the locations that ought to be considered to play host to future developments. According to Thienprasit, entertainment complexes should be developed in secondary cities, as these locations would benefit significantly from the economic windfall the properties would generate.

Thienprasitwent a step further to explain that certain locations proposed by the government such as Phuket and Pattaya were water-strapped and faced shortages during the summer months when the highest influx of tourists was expected to arrive.

Thienprasit further encouraged the government to take a zero-compromise approach to transparency, arguing that it is paramount for casinos to know who is entering the premises at any given time. In the meantime, locals remain worried about some of the negative impacts that communities could experience first-hand because of these projects.

Locals are still worried about the pernicious effects of building entertainment complexes

Crime, problem gambling, and organized crime are uppermost on the minds of ordinary Thais who have seen the projects with expectations and fear of making things economically worse.

Academics have argued that because of the country’s challenges when it comes to dealing with corruption, instead of creating an economic boon, the arrival of a new resort may entrench economic interest from well-established and well-connected companies and businesspeople.

Despite all of this, however, the Thai government seems determined to move forward with its plan.

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