Phuket officials seek plan for former 141-rai Expo site
Officials are gathering information on the future management and possible uses of state-owned land in Mai Khao, more than three years after Phuket lost its bid to host the World Specialised Expo.
Phuket officials have begun gathering information to prepare a management plan for a 141-rai state-owned site in Mai Khao, more than three years after the province lost its bid to host the World Specialised Expo.
Phuket Governor Chotinarin Kerdsom chaired a meeting on 24 September with representatives from the Phuket Provincial Treasury Office, Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation, Mai Khao Subdistrict Administrative Organisation, Thalang District Office, police and other agencies.
The meeting examined the site's organisation, cleanliness, landscaping and safety, as well as ways to use the land more efficiently. The governor instructed the Phuket Provincial Treasury Office to work with relevant agencies to collect information on its current use and prepare a management plan.
Possible future uses discussed included public services, tourism, sports and economic development, subject to applicable laws and regulations. No specific new project was announced.
The land at Tha Chatchai covers 141 rai, 2 ngan and 64 square wah. It was transferred by the Treasury Department to the Ministry of Public Health in December 2021 for development as an international medical centre.
The government later approved more than B5.1 billion for the planned Andaman International Health Center, with Songklanagarind Hospital Phuket identified as a cornerstone. The site had also been prepared as the proposed venue for Phuket's bid to host the World Specialised Expo 2027/28, but the bid failed in June 2023. The Bureau International des Expositions awarded the Expo to Belgrade, Serbia.
Phuket officials said after the failed bid that the medical centre would still proceed. Then-Vice Governor Amnuay Pinsuwan said the planned Expo venue would be developed as an international health centre for Thai and foreign patients.
By May 2024, however, the medical centre was still awaiting budget allocation and confusion remained over the site's future. In November 2025, its long-term use was still undetermined as Phuket business leaders backed a new bid to host the Specialised Expo 2033.
