Ambitious Concept Revised After Partners Back Out

[george]

PROPERTY / PHUKET INTERNATIONAL NIGHT BAZAAR

Ambitious concept revised after some partners back out

PHUKET: -- The dramatic drop in tourist numbers following the Dec 26 tsunami in Phuket has forced the developer of the Phuket International Night Bazaar to revise its plans as some business partners have backed out of the project.

Chintana Daengdej, managing director of Phuket International Night Bazaar Co, said the concept of the project, located on a 170-rai plot, would be changed to a night bazaar with an ``art and cultural centre look'' instead of one similar to Bangkok's Chatuchak weekend market.

The concept is similar to the Kaddara project in Chiang Mai, which sells various kinds of products such as souvenirs, food, fashion and handicraft products. The products will be sold at a floating market and at Talad Bok, modelled on traditional Thai village structures in the Rattanakosin era of the late 18th century.

The Phuket site would also feature theatre, shows and an outdoor museum such as the one at Muang Boran in Samut Prakan province.

In addition, the company has revised a planned hotel in favour of a youth hostel with classic and antique de{AAC}cor, while at the same time reducing the number of rooms to 357 from more than 1,000 in the previous plan.

``We are confident the new concept of the Phuket International Night Bazaar will be attractive by itself because shoppers can travel and shop at the same time,'' said Mrs Chintana.

The master plan is now being drafted while construction is expected to begin again in the second half of the year after being frozen for six months.

Some parts of the project are expected to be operational in the middle of next year and all of it is slated to be completed in 2007.

``Before we had several partners who were willing to invest at least three billion baht to set up businesses but many of them have delayed their plans since the tsunami,'' said Mrs Chintana. ``So, now we plan to invest 300 million baht on our own in the retail space which will total 300,000 square metres.''

Phuket International Night Bazaar Co has leased the land for the venture from the Hongyok family.

The Phuket International Night Bazaar is part of the Chao Fah City project covering 1,500 rai and located seven kilometres from Phuket International Airport.

Mrs Chintana said Phuket still had the highest business potential in the South and was the best province for investment after Bangkok in the long term, adding about four million tourists, over half of them foreign, visit Phuket each year, contributing 72.6 billion baht to the province.

``Since the tsunami, the number of tourists in Phuket has dropped, by up to 90% at one point. But it can turn around fast if the government revises its plan to promote the Andaman provinces through a direct marketing campaign instead of using mass advertising,'' she said.

--Bangkok Post 2005-05-30