One down. Another one should be gone, soon. Thumbs up to the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE) for its decision to dump Thailand as a contender for the host of World Expo 2020.
The race to bring the event home is now narrowed down to Sao Paolo in Brazil, Ekaterinburg in Russia, Izmir in Turkey and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The last city on the list sounds familiar to Thais.
Certain things relating to Dubai can often be twisted and linked to politics here in Thailand. The Democrat Party, which launched the Expo plan to host one of the world's most popular events, suspects an intention by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her government to see the Thai bid crumble by deciding not to endorse it. The feeling is that this move came from the Prime Minister's Office to give Dubai a better chance to run with its bid.
You can believe it or not. Ayutthaya came out strongly among the pack on expo2020vote.blogspot.com, a website which encourages people to vote on the contenders. It was first with 17,289 votes, or 42% of the total, comfortably ahead of the next city, Izmir, which pulled 10,450 votes. In contrast, Dubai sat at the bottom with 468 votes.
So, what else could Ms Yingluck say except that her government had done its best. Realistically, the issue is over, although some have slim hopes of a resubmission of the bid. However, the bid being dropped could be the best thing for the prime minister.
Dubai or not is not the issue. The bottom line is that Abhisit Vejjajiva and his government should not have entered the bid in the first place. Expo can draw millions of visitors to a country for months at a time. That translates into billions of baht in revenue. Thailand no doubt has the ability to organise such a big event, but what would we, as the host, show to the world, aside from our cultural charms?
An exhibition of Thai innovations would have been ideal. South Korea did something similar when it brought Expo to Daejon in 1993 and sent a message to the world that the country was ready to move forward with technology. The problem is, Thai scientists are not ready for that, as their main agenda these days is to oust Science and Technology Minister Worawat Au-apinyakul in their ''Fight for Science'' campaign. This is the culmination of years, maybe decades, of frustration at seeing the ministry used as a ''dumping ground'' for politicians who possess weak qualifications but strong political connections yet are expected to guide a government agency that is supposed to be a key driver of the country's future.
Another problem that could have arisen is what the government of 2020 would do with the Expo site once the party is over. Daejon might be a good place to learn about what life is like post-Expo.
Ayutthaya is saved for now by the BIE. The old capital should be remembered for what it is - an ancient town that has tremendous tourist appeal. Bangkok, Phuket and other places with potential for such an exposition should be left as they are, too. By the way, the provincial office does not seem to be aware of what is going on - its website, www.ayutthaya.go.th/expo2020, still runs a campaign to make the dream of Ayutthaya Expo 2020 come true.
Thailand also should remain an F1-free country. The Tourism and Sports Ministry made a bid for a Formula One race to be held in 2015. It was convinced that offering a city-based race, with the Grand Palace and the old town quarter on Ratchadamnoen Avenue as a backdrop, would be advantageous to Thailand. Protests by community leaders in the areas sent a strong message to the ministry about the idea: No.
Tourism and Sports Minister Somsak Pureesrisak scrapped the planned venue but will not give up the idea of an F1 race. ''Phuket should be an ideal venue which meets our target to promote tourism,'' he said.
Thailand needs neither F1 nor Expo to lure more tourists. Its beaches, culture and food are enough. Visitors are flocking to the country and there are no indications that the figures will dip.
What the country needs is better measures to make sure that tourists are safe and get convenient and fair treatment while they are here. The Tourism and Sport Ministry - in fact the whole government - can begin with serious attempts to crack down on odious practices that dampen tourist enthusiasm, such as the jet ski scams.
Saritdet Marukatat is digital media news editor, Bangkok Post.