A crowd of more than 200 pigeon lovers gathered at Pattaya International Pigeon Race (PIPR) earlier this month. There was palpable excitement in the air as they waited for the arrival of the winning pigeon, flying in from Udon Thani.
The place exploded with noise when the strongest bird made its landing and entered its own loft, finishing a journey of 530 kilometres.
The next day, the number of pigeon fanciers joining the event doubled. They clustered at Royal Cliff Beach Hotel Pattaya to attend a pigeon auction, one of the highlights of the day. The champion flyer, named Mike Taechaubol and owned by Sadawut Taechaubol, chairman of Country Group Holdings Plc, won the highest bid of 2.5 million baht, bringing in almost 10 million baht in total for the auction.
The event is part of the first PIPR's one loft race, which is organised by the Racing Pigeon International Association (RPIA). The race, in which pigeons are released from their cages simultaneously, was well-received by both Thai and foreign pigeon enthusiasts. Participants came to Pattaya from across 10 nations in Asia, the Middle East and Europe and sent a total 1,547 pigeons to compete.
The ardour of the enthusiasts has raised the possibility of promoting Thailand as one of the key pigeon racing cities in Asia.
Suntorn Jarumon, RPIA president, says this ambition is not impossible. The race on Jan 7 shows the association's ability to improve its race standards and hold a fair competition that meets international criteria.
The combination of good facilities and the tourist-friendly destination of Pattaya will help drive Thailand's pigeon races to speedy recognition, he says.
Once the race achieves widespread recognition, Mr Suntorn says the pigeon racing market in Thailand will open up. Most importantly, everyone, from rich to poor, can partake in the sport.
Mr Suntorn believes that a growing number of Thais will begin to get interested in this rather novel activity. He envisions current enthusiasts expanding their personal pigeon hobby farms, which would generate income and help spur the overall economy.
There is no clear estimate of the value of the racing pigeon trade in Thailand. Belgium is considered the world's pigeon racing trade hub, drawing in over 1 billion baht annually via auction on www.pipa.be alone, excluding offline trade. At an auction in 2013, for example, a Belgian pigeon named Bolt was sold for US$398,500 to a Chinese millionaire, a sale that created a new chapter of pigeon auction history.
There are many Thai fanciers who go abroad to buy potential racing pigeons for local breeding, mostly to Belgium, spending 20-30 million baht annually.
Visith Pinyoborisuth, RPIA secretary, points out that there is no country in Asia that can claim to be a pigeon racing hub. Thailand should therefore capture this opportunity to not only promote the race at home but also in the region, which would be a boon to the national economy.
The more Thai pigeon racing buffs breed the birds, the more likely Thailand will garner interest from foreigners to come here to buy the birds, he says. It would also bolster related businesses, such as bird food production and equipment distribution, as well as job creation in local communities.
"Thailand would get more help to strengthen the tourism industry in Pattaya, luring a significant number of foreign tourists to the new activity," he believes.
Mr Visith is realistic about the obstacles to realising the ambition, one being the legislation to ship birds out of the country, given increasing official concerns regarding bird flu. He is calling on the government's support for the sport which, if properly nurtured, could well turn into a business that may a role in helping the Thai economy.
Enthusiasts check out the avian competitors at the Pattaya race. Organisers are hopeful the sport could further boost the resort's tourism industry.