Chiang Mai convention centre gets governmental go-ahead

BANGKOK The Thai government has given the green light to a US$35 million convention centre in the northern city of Chiang Mai.

The move is part of its efforts to broaden the profile of the local CEI industry, which is currently concentrated in Bangkok. The facility, to be known as the Chiang Mai National Convention and Exhibition Centre, will have a capacity to host conferences for as many as 3,000 delegates. It will be built close to the centre of the city. Construction is to be completed by the end of 2007. The government has announced plans for similar convention centres in other regional hubs including Phuket in the south and Udon Thani in the northeast to distribute more CEI-related income to the provinces. It has promised to accelerate the construction of infrastructure in these major provinces and hold more official events in these areas as part of the decentralisation drive. It has already ordered the national carrier THAI to increase the number of direct flights from Chiang Mai to other countries, avoiding the need for visitors to transit through Bangkok.