Coupled with the completion of Bangkok's new international airport later this year, the nearby Suvarnabhumi Airport, growth prospects for the trade exhibition specialist and the CEI industry as a whole are expected to skyrocket.
Two BTS Skytrain stations, Bang Na and Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre, have been approved and are being built.
Both of the stations are only a 10-minute walk from BITEC.
In an exclusive interview with CEI Asia Pacific, the founder, president and CEO of BITEC, Dr Prasarn Bhiraj Buri, unveiled the long-term mass-transit system for the greater Bangkok area and how it would impact the future business prospects of the facility.
He stressed the importance of completing these projects for the benefit of BITEC and the country.
"The completion of these projects is essential for driving business and the Thai economy," said Prasarn. "If you're caught in a massive traffic jam, how can you attract international conferences? We need to take the cars off the roads and provide other ways of transportation."
Prasarn said that when BITEC opened in 1997, part of its feasibility study took into account the location of Suvarnabhumi Airport. Now he hoped it would be connected by Skytrain too.
"If they extend the line, it will be possible to go to the airport in the third phase. Once that is completed we can easily attract international trade delegates because of the quick access to the airport and hotels. We will have much better prospects of becoming a regional hub for convention and exhibition business."
Revenue growth in 2005 is expected to be US$20 million, he added.
BITEC to gain from new train stations
BANGKOK The completion of the second phase of Bangkok's mass-transit system is poised to have a major impact on business into one of the country's premium facilities, the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC).