Bangkok aquarium to be region’s biggest

BANGKOK: -- Australia’s Oceanis Group will open Southeast Asia’s largest aquarium at Siam Paragon in November with an investment of Bt1 billion.

Siam Ocean World will occupy an area the size of two football fields and will be able to accommodate 20,000 visitors per day.

Kavipol Supatravanij, general manager for marketing and sales of Siam Ocean World Co, a sister firm of Oceanis Group, said the aquarium would attract 1.5 million visitors in the first year of operation, 80 per cent of whom would be locals and the rest tourists.

Siam Ocean World will feature more than 30,000 aquatic creatures and over 400 different species, including the grey nurse shark, an elephant nose shark and penguins.

The centre will comprise a main “oceanarium” with an acrylic ocean tunnel, a 360-degree panoramic “fishbowl”, touch pools for children, a 4D theatre, a rainforest area and many other features.

The aquarium is the fifth undertaken by Oceanis Group after similar operations in Melbourne, Brisbane, Shanghai and Busan in Korea.

Kavipol said the group had been involved in the aquarium business for more than 15 years.

The company will begin marketing activities with corporate partners such as True, Nestle, Sanyo, Pepsi, Chevrolet, Fuji, Bang and Olufsen and Mares.

--The Nation 2005-07-27

RECREATION / SIAM OCEAN WORLD

Aquarium expects 1.5m visitors in first year

BANGKOK: -- The one-billion-baht Siam Ocean World will open as planned in early November and is expected to be a major tourist draw at the Siam Paragon luxury shopping centre in central Bangkok.

Operated by Siam Ocean World Co, a subsidiary of Oceanis Australia Group, the world's biggest aquarium operator based in Melbourne, the venture hopes to attract 1.5 million visitors, 20% of them foreign tourists, in its first year of operation.

Kavipol Supatravanij, general manager for marketing and sales of Siam Ocean World, said he was undeterred by the prospect of consumers cutting spending, saying the world-class aquarium would be warmly welcomed as a place for tourism and recreation as well as education.

The company expects to break even within three years. In early stage, it has 50 million baht to spend on marketing.

Construction is 70% complete at the 10,000-square-metre site, equivalent to two football pitches, on the first and second floors of Siam Paragon, The space can accommodate 20,000 visitors per day.

It will display 30,000 marine creatures with 400 species including nurse sharks, elephant-nose sharks and penguins. Sea creatures will outnumber fresh-water ones.

The admission fee is expected to be less than the 600 baht charged at sites operated by Oceanis Australia in Australia and Busan, South Korea.

Oceanis Australia currently has four locations: in Melbourne and the Gold Coast in Australia, as well as Busan and Shanghai. Bangkok is the first city-centre site for Oceanis Australia, which has ventures planned in Dubai and Seoul.

Mr Kavipol said the company aimed to have Siam Ocean World put into tour packages marketed abroad, adding that India and China were promising markets.

--Bangkok Post 2005-07-27

Now, thats something to rival Disney Land. Well, O.K. they have a pretty cool marine park in Honkers as well. But to me this is an inprovement on the convention idea.

Carl

I just hope it’s an “enclosed” facility where the visitors are physically kept separate from the live displays etc. – for the protection of the Marine life, not the visitor.

It’s truly amazing how Thais love to “rangae satr” – tease or otherwise disturb animals whenever they get the chance; poking them, throwing things at them or feeding them any old rubbish as their idea of fun - just to see what the reaction is.

Also, I cringe when I see children – even toddlers – at places like Sriracha Tiger Park being encouraged to pose with wild animals; several times the children have tripped or stumbled onto the animal, which has reacted in a predictable way and attacked – and of course it’s always the animal which is blamed.

Patrick

poor penguins.

Now this is a little more sesible than chiang minnie land.

Thailand, A hub of aquariums.

A huge aquarium in Bangkok, thats just awesome news.

Good news. Even better the absence of a requirement that all contained within be able to prove Thai nationality. This might change of course, once it is noticed.

Do the fish have to have Thai nationality too...???

A huge aquarium in Bangkok, thats just awesome news.

         

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Just for you BKK

Now you know were I went ...................... Phuket

Kan Win

Now this is a little more sesible than chiang minnie land.

Thailand, A hub of aquariums.

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Beat me to it, i was going to say "fish bowl hub"!

And maybe a decent Harry Ramsdens Fish and Chip shop to accompany it.

.. Really get everyone in the mood

And maybe a decent Harry Ramsdens Fish and Chip shop to accompany it.

.. Really get everyone in the mood

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Sounds good - anyone been to the one in Suphanburi - that's pretty cool, especially for such an 'out of the way' town...

A huge aquarium in Bangkok, thats just awesome news.

         

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Perhaps you don't remember the floods in Bangkok in the 1980's.

The whole city was one large aquarium!!