Thailand Seeks to Build Casinos

After the devastation caused by the tsunami in 2005, it has become the mission of Pracha Maleenant, Thailand’s Minster of Tourism and Sports, to boost the country’s tourism industry in order to aid its economy, and in turn, help in its recovery. His first tactic to do so is to introduce casinos to some of the country’s hardest hit areas. With less than 6 million tourists in 2005, Maleenant realizes that drastic change must be made in order to come close to their initial goal of 13.4 million tourists in a single year.

The plans were first introduced a year ago by Prime Minister, Thanksin Shinawatra, as a means to draw tourists away from Hong Kong’s new Disneyland and into Thailand’s tourist spots. But the initiative was slowed by protesting from the areas devout Buddhists, who feared the casinos would promote gambling addictions and other social problems. But given the country’s current economic state of emergency, it is understood that 700,000 visitors to Bangkok in the month of August is not acceptable.

Therefore, the government has announced they will establish a casino in four of Thailand’s six regions – two of which will be built in the country’s main tourist spots of Pattaya and Phuket, while the other two will be located in some of the slightly less popular tourist destinations.

On top of the introduction of casinos to the area, the government is also planning to establish a new tourist attraction by the name of Chiang Mai Night Safari, which is scheduled to open its doors this upcoming November. This entertainment destination will include an array of activities such as a theme park, monorail system, traditional Lanna activities, and of course, a night safari. Efforts are also being made to license duty-free shops in the severely effected areas of Phuket, Krabi and Phang-Ngo.