'Patong Eye' attraction planned for Phuket beach

[webfact]

'Patong Eye' attraction planned for Phuket beach
Zazithorn Ruengchinda


The iconic London Eye, pictured, might soon have a sister on Patong Beach. Photo: martie1swart

PHUKET: -- A large ferris wheel, similar to the London Eye attraction, will be set up at Patong’s Loma Park complex on the beach road for around six weeks during the high season.

Deputy Mayor of Patong Chairat Sukkabal told The Phuket News that the plans began around two years ago, when he contacted the company that made the London Eye and sent them a proposal to bring a similar attraction to Phuket.

The plan is to launch the ferris wheel during the annual Patong Beach Festival, which runs from December 15-20.

“This is just a temporary plan. A ferris wheel will be brought to Phuket and it will stay here until the end of January 2014. Then they will take it to Hong Kong.

“Hopefully this will be a good attraction for Patong during the high season,” Mr Chairat said.

But not all are entirely happy with the plan, he said.

“Of course some people are against it, because they have a business in that area, for example food stalls, beach chair vendors and other operators,” Mr Chairat said.

“They say the municipality is using a public area to do private business, but they are doing it too. What we do is for the public benefit.”

Mr Chairat went on to explain that the revenue from the attraction would be used to pay off debt accumulated from hosting the Youth International Games two years ago. However, when pressed for more details on this debt, he declined to provide figures or more information.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/%E2%80%98patong-eye%E2%80%99-attraction-planned-for-phuket-beach-43128.php


-- Phuket News 2013-11-29

[patjem]

Either pie-in-the-sky or a money-laundering exercise, methinks.

- Probably nothing like the scale and structure of the London eye.

- Revenue (profit) from this? When it will only be there for a few months? offsetting costs? BS.

[JoeThePoster]

I expect that many people will jump at the chance for a ride on this.

[eezergood]

AMAZING THAILAND!

[LivinginKata]

So, it will be shipped here and installed by 15 December 2013 - 2 weeks away. Seeing will be believing

[Totster]

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the Patong Eye !!

Totster

Edited November 29, 2013 by Totster

[LivinginKata]

^

Excellent

[eezergood]

You will have a great view of the floating NYE stage

[andreandre]

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the Patong Eye !!

Totster

From the time frame in the OP, thats about all it could ever be.....good one

Just another 'diversion tactic' from the real issues of Patong..

EDIT..from the OP."A large ferris wheel, similar to the London Eye attraction,...

The only thing similar will be the fact that it is a ferris wheel...sizewise? Yes the one above is about it......Wait with bated breath..i believe the London one took many years to build and install....

Edited November 29, 2013 by andreandre

[chooka]

I expect that many people will jump at the chance for a ride on this.

Have to get those 300,000 tourists lost back into the country somehow.

Build it and they will come.

[chooka]

So, it will be shipped here and installed by 15 December 2013 - 2 weeks away. Seeing will be believing

I agree. Can't see it being done in 2 weeks. Have they even laid the concrete foundations which will take awhile to set?

They built one in Melbourne...

The project, undertaken by ING Real Estate and managed by Hansen Yuncken, cost an estimated A$100 million to construct between 2006 and 2008, and was expected to attract 1.5 million visitors each year.

The outer ring of the wheel was completed on 1 March 2008. The passenger pods arrived onsite on 10 June 2008 for installation. By 20 October 2008, the pods were receiving their fit out

It has been closed due to costs for nearly 4 yrs now.

[bangon04]

Always nice to see original ideas coming from the Thai tourist industry..........

If the first one actually did ever get built, we would probably see a row of 6 on the beach after a few months..

Much better to put the first nuclear reactor there instead. It would improve the environment for sure, and be safer...

Edited November 29, 2013 by bangon04

[Thaddeus]

A "Bangkok Eye" wheel was proposed a few years ago...... when was that one finished?

[jaiyen]

And what the hell do you think people will see from the wheel that will be interesting ? Filth on the beach, tourists getting beaten up by the jet ski gang, food carts, fat foreigners sun bathing, " Letsd play spot the policeman ! Oh look ! theres one giving a ticket to a tourist for no helmet ! Oh look Gladys, I can see an empty parking place ! Oh damn, theres a tuk tuk in it now." Oh what fun you can have.

[wileycoyote]

Good Idea

[bangarang]

I do hope those little room have aircon. I could image people baking alive when riding with the intense heat from the sun.

[Lokie]

On a slightly smaller scale than the London Eye; A lot of UK cities have and operate them quite successfully, so why not Patong/Phuket...? at least something actually good with all the crap, of course that's if the low loader it arrives on can negotiate the crap road works currently half heartedly going on and the efficient one way congestion that is a daily occurrence...

Maybe Third Naval Command can get involved and deliver it by sea, as they done a good job last week with all the tourists stranded on the islands in bad weather...

[Ulic]

I guess they will call every ferris wheel an eye now. I would be surprised if it takes more than a half

dozen trucks to bring in what they have planned. 5% the size of the London Eye. A large travelling

wheel similar to ones that travel across the US to state fairs.

[Halion]

Just another scam to milk the system.

[LivinginKata]

I guess they will call every ferris wheel an eye now. I would be surprised if it takes more than a half

dozen trucks to bring in what they have planned. 5% the size of the London Eye. A large travelling

wheel similar to ones that travel across the US to state fairs.

Exactly - it will be some sort of portable fair ground ferris wheel. Patong Eye - just BS hype.

[eezergood]

Wait till it breaks down..........

[patongphil]

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the Patong Eye !!

Totster

Man that has made me piss my pants laughing. Hats off to you sir.

[LivinginKata]

Patong eyes giant Ferris wheel to get Phuket high season rolling

Phuket Gazette - Friday, November 29, 2013 8:34:41 PM

A giant Ferris wheel on a flier for the Patong Carnival. Image: Supplied

• 
• 
• 

PHUKET: Phuket officials are scrambling to find a location to set up the Patong Eye, a giant Ferris wheel that is hoped to spin out fresh revenue during and after the Patong Carnival starting on December 15.

“The Patong Eye could generate money to compensate for financial losses from Thailand’s National Youth Games last year,” said Patong Deputy Mayor Chairat Sukban.

“However, at this point I can’t confirm where it will be. We are considering Loma Park [map here], as well as several other venues,” Mr Chairat said. “I originally wanted to install it at the entrance of Bangla Road near the police box, but beach vendors and other operators nearby rejected the idea.”

If officials are unable to find a location, it is very likely that the Ferris wheel will never become the "Patong Eye", but will instead end up somewhere else in Thailand, either Chiang Mai or Siam Paragon.

“No matter what, though, it is only a temporary attraction, as it is destined for Beijing, China,” Mr Chairat said. “At one point they were considering sending it to Hong Kong, but there is already a Ferris wheel there.”

The giant Ferris wheel has the backing of a Qatar business man who is running a Dubai-based company associated with the construction of the London Eye and many other giant Ferris wheel projects around the world, Mr Chairat said.

Pushed for more information about the company, Mr Chairat said that details would be released today at the official announcement for the Patong Carnival.

Source : http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket_news/2013/Patong-eyes-giant-Ferris-wheel-to-get-Phuket-high-season-rolling-22911.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2013-11-29

[LivinginKata]

^

A more accourate report by the PG

[KarenBravo]

If it actually gets set up, it'll make a fortune with just the Chinese alone. The Indians and Russians will be cream.

[steelepulse]

That's a big "IF" KB!

[JoeThePoster]

A "Bangkok Eye" wheel was proposed a few years ago...... when was that one finished?

It's up and running at Asiatique, I think.

[xylophone]

Oh dear, if it ever does come, then I wouldn't go anywhere near the bloody thing!!

It is beyond the capabilities of the locals here to even build something as simple as a road, or even find something to fill in the potholes that regularly occur all over the place here, so putting something like this up and maybe even constructing the base for it will be a recipe for disaster.

Reminds me of the words from the song, "Bring on the clowns"...................don't have to worry they are already here running the place.

[jaycor]

So, it will be shipped here and installed by 15 December 2013 - 2 weeks away. Seeing will be believing 

I agree.  Can't see it being done in 2 weeks.  Have they even laid the concrete foundations which will take awhile to set?

 

They built one in Melbourne...

 

The project, undertaken by ING Real Estate and managed by Hansen Yuncken, cost an estimated A$100 million to construct between 2006 and 2008, and was expected to attract 1.5 million visitors each year.

 

The outer ring of the wheel was completed on 1 March 2008. The passenger pods arrived onsite on 10 June 2008 for installation. By 20 October 2008, the pods were receiving their fit out

 

It has been closed due to costs for nearly 4 yrs now.

Not quite true. It was up and operational for Christmas 2008 and the in January 2009 there was a heat wave (same as black Sunday with the fires) and it bent the entire structure. Been stuck in insurance claims and litigation ever since.