Horticulture expo organisers respond to visitor complaints

More convenient transport, more food outlets among improvements after first-week growing pains

Organisers of the International Horticulture Expo and authorities in the host province, Udon Thani, say they have addressed complaints received during its first week in hopes of improving the visitor experience at the much-publicised event.

All key complaints made by visitors in the first few days of the five-month event have been addressed, organisers said in a post on the official expo Facebook page. They included free song thaew shuttle services from downtown Udon Thani, a train stop, faster entry procedures, more food shops and better links between parking areas and the venue.

The organisers even borrowed shuttle vehicles from the Nakhon Ratchasima zoo to add to their Expo fleet for better service.

“Hopefully, these changes will make the expo a more enjoyable visit for everyone,” organisers said in a post on Sunday.

The expo has passed its first week with more complaints than compliments. Several visitors singled out transport and food, pavilions, and even pricey lemon trees brought in for the event, which was given a budget of 2.75 billion baht.

The expo is taking place on 1,000 rai of Nong Dae wetland in the suburbs of Udon Thani. It opened on Nov 1 and will run until March 14 next year.

The government has projected 20,000 to 30,000 visitors a day and hopes the exhibition will firmly put Udon Thani on the international tourism map.

Deputy Agriculture Minister Watcharaphon Khaokham said the opening day on Nov 1 drew 8,999 visitors. The northeastern bureau of Thai PBS put the figure at 10,027, but that included about 6,000 officials and expo team members.

Reported total attendance from Nov 1-7 was 40,112 visitors, or an average of 5,730 per day.