Chonburi: After a 20-year wait, Disneyland Thailand is finally a reality. Pipat unveils a 300 billion baht mega-project to unlock Thai tourism and create new revenue streams. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, revealed his concept for promoting a world-class theme park mega-project in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) in Chonburi province. The project will be a large-scale mixed-use development that includes not only a theme park but also sports, entertainment, and commercial facilities, bringing the term "Disneyland Thailand" back into the spotlight.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Pipat acknowledged that the idea of ??bringing Disneyland to Thailand is not new, but what differs from the past is the country's "readiness" today, including infrastructure, large land area, and the potential of the private sector to co-invest. The initial plan specifies the use of approximately 5,000 rai of land, divided into about 3,000 rai for Disneyland (with an investment value of almost 200 billion baht) and another 2,000 rai for sports and entertainment facilities (valued at over 100 billion baht), bringing the total project value to around 300 billion baht.
The investment model will be a Public-Private Partnership (PPP), where the government will provide land, coordinate licensing negotiations with Disney, and provide supporting facilities, while the private sector will invest in construction and management. This aims to reduce the burden on the government budget and allow professionals to manage the project.
Mr. Pipat stated that the key deciding factor is transportation infrastructure, especially the high-speed rail link connecting the three airports and the U-Tapao Airport and Eastern Aviation City development project, which will reduce travel time from the airport to the project area to approximately 45 minutes.
Regarding the key reasons why Thailand 'needs' a Disneyland, Mr. Pipat pointed out that the Thai tourism industry is saturated. The number of foreign tourists, at 32-38 million per year, has barely increased, while the global tourism trend is shifting towards high-income family tourism. If Thailand wants to increase its tourist numbers to 50-60 million per year, it needs a world-class entertainment landmark. It is estimated that if the project materializes, it would add almost 20 million tourists per year, create over 100,000 jobs, and generate approximately 150 billion baht annually, while distributing income to surrounding areas, including the eastern coast and Bangkok.
However, the project is still in the feasibility study and licensing negotiation phase with Disney. For it to materialize, it requires policy continuity and foreign investors' confidence in the long-term stability of its development.