The Board of Investment (BoI) has approved an investment project to build Jurassic World, a new Bangkok-based attraction featuring animatronic dinosaurs, to promote tourism.
The 1.2-billion-baht project, spanning 4,000 square metres, is set to be located in Asiatique The Riverfront, an open-air mall on the banks of the Chao Phraya River.
Asset World Attraction and Retail, a subsidiary of Asset World Corp (AWC), received the green light from the BoI to push ahead with the investment.
The project, named Jurassic World: The Experience, is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia.
"The company wants to develop this tourist attraction into a new landmark for Bangkok and Thailand," said Narit Therdsteerasukdi, secretary-general of the BoI.
Inspired by the Hollywood movie Jurassic World, Asset World Attraction and Retail is aiming to build a new attraction containing an array of lifelike robotic dinosaur replicas.
In addition to animatronic dinosaurs, highlights will include iconic, film-inspired settings, as the developer wants the attraction to provide visitors with an immersive entertainment experience, according to the BoI.
AWC said earlier it plans to open Jurassic World: The Experience in this year's second quarter, as part of the first phase of its five-year plan for Asiatique The Riverfront.
The project is a collaboration between AWC, Neon and Universal Destinations & Experiences.
The immersive attraction is meant to attract visitors of all ages from both domestic and international markets, as the Jurassic franchise has a large fan base globally, according to Wallapa Traisorat, chief executive and president of AWC.
Mr Narit stressed the need to further develop the tourism industry after Thailand drew 35 million foreign tourists last year who spent more than 1.6 trillion baht in the country.
From 2015 to 2024, the BoI approved up to 209 investment projects in the tourism and service sectors, with a combined investment value of 200 billion baht. They included the large-scale development of tourist attractions, hotels and conference halls.