Rich in underwater biodiversity, Thailand presents itself at this year’s International Exposition Yeosu Korea 2012, or Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea, under the theme ‘Colours of Diversity: Capacity of Thailand’.
Corresponding with the Expo’s ‘Living Ocean and Coast’ theme, the showcased Thai Pavilion is ranked one of the top-three hit attractions among visitors, thanks to Thai performances and mascots.
Having received much visitor attention since its soft launch on April 28, Pavilion director Bamrungsak Chat-anantavej said the Marine and Coastal Resources Department, assigned to this project, presents different kinds of Thai marine resources to the world, including other activities with ideas received from Their Majesties the King and Queen.
The pavilion’s exterior was decorated with Thai murals inspired by those in a temple mural in the coastal province of Samut Songkhram, southwest of Bangkok, depicting the beauty of the Thai way of life in coastal areas.
Thai boxing and martial arts are performed to draw visitors in an atmosphere of excitement.
Two exhibitions are held at the Pavilion. Expo guests are welcomed by three leading characters –the boy hermit ‘Sutsakon’, his dragon-horse companion ‘Ma Nin Mangkon’, and the Mermaid– all from the Thai classical epic ‘Phra Aphaimani’.
Visitors explore the world of Thai literature and the wonders of Thailand’s spectacular seascapes, while the robotic Mermaid is there to tell the story of the long relations between Thailand and South Korea.
The other exhibition is demonstrating the underwater world of the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea. Photos there were taken by leading divers, presenting a 360-degree view with a special technique that makes visitors almost believe that they are really under water.
The pavilion is expected to be an important aspect for the country to attract travellers to Thailand’s growing economy.
A Korean visitor said she was so impressed by the exhibitions that she would have to find a chance to visit the Thai ocean for real, while two others said that the seas of Thailand and of their country were different. They said they wished to travel to the country to witness the ocean’s beauty in the future for more of its underwater attractions.
Over 10,000 visitors grace the Thai Pavilion daily at Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea, making it one of the most popular sites among pavilions from 106 countries worldwide, and creating confidence in the Thai government’s official bid for the country to host the World Expo 2020.
