At Wat Chedi Luang Worawihan, Si Phum Subdistrict, Muang Chaing Mai District, the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Sretha Thavisin, met with representatives of the private sector and the Young Entrepreneur Chamber of Commerce Chiang Mai (YEC) to discuss tourism potential in Chiang Mai, along with the participation of the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry, and Banking (JSCCIB), November 29.
The representative of the private sector and the Prime Minister discussed about Chiang Mai Festival City as follows:
1) The request for the Prime Minister’s representative to organize and facilitate the festival.
2) The request for public-sector agencies responsible for historical locations to facilitate utilising locations.
3) The request for more budget to broaden events and activities.
The representative of the JSCCIB proposed a plan to restore the Chiang Mai International Exhibition and Convention Centre to be more up-to-date, which would require a budget of 700–800 million. While the YEC proposed more integrated government and private-sector cooperation.
The Prime Minister considered that the Chiang Mai International Exhibition and Convention Centre was still functional and that the proposal of a budget of 700–800 million was excessive while there was a shortage of demand, which was not worth the investment. Moreover, the Prime Minister suggested that a festival in Chiang Mai should be held in December and January during the high season to align with government policy to attract tourists and increase the income of Chiang Mai Province. The government is also ready to support the economy by boosting tourism in secondary cities such as Lampang, Lamphun, and nearby provinces.
After that, the Prime Minister visited Wat Chedi Luang Worawihan to worship Chao Khun Phra Kittiwimon (Amporn Katapunyo), the Abbot of Wat Chedi Luang Worawihan. Chao Khun Phra Kittiwimon was glad to meet with the Prime Minister and praised the Prime Minister for promoting tourism in Wat Chedi Luang Worawihan because there has been an increase of 3000 tourists/day.
Then, Chao Khun Phra Kittiwimon led the Prime Minister and delegates to visit the temple. The Prime Minister worshipped Chalerm Siriraj Buddha before watching the performance of the Chiang Mai Yi Peng Festival 2023.
