The "Shadow Cabinet" notes that after one week, visitor numbers at the World Horticultural Expo Udon Thani have failed to meet targets, demanding the government explain the 2.7 billion baht budget and proposing the creation of three teams to rescue the crisis.
On 9 Nov 2026 GMT+7 at the Parliament building, the People's Party held a press conference on the 19th Shadow Cabinet meeting. One agenda item was assessing and proposing solutions for the World Horticultural Expo in Udon Thani Province, which has been open for one week but continues to face serious issues. These include significantly low tourist numbers compared to targets, concerns over budget transparency, and impacts on local environment and economy.
Mr. Thanakorn Champahom, former MP candidate for Udon Thani District 2 from the People's Party and a local entrepreneur, described the event's overall organization. Although it is an international horticultural event, the atmosphere and setup fall short of expected international standards and conflict with the originally consulted plans. This has repeatedly disappointed Udon Thani residents who had high hopes. Combined with extremely hot weather, most tourists prefer to tour by vehicle rather than walk. He views this event as "not as advertised," causing damage and suspicion in two main areas:
1. Failure to generate local income and employment: At launch, the government announced a 2.7 billion baht budget and creation of up to 81,000 jobs in Udon Thani. In reality, all hiring is done through event organizer companies. Local vendors and residents wishing to provide services or sell products must negotiate through these private firms, causing locals to lose direct job opportunities and benefits promised.
2. Substandard event organization and lack of preparedness: The international garden received heavy criticism for disappointing quality, with atmosphere and greenhouses inconsistent with the natural plants of featured countries. Infrastructure problems are critical, such as insufficient drinking water points, inadequate and malfunctioning shuttle buses, and slow ticket queues, severely harming the event's image. Society also questions the value of spending such a large budget amid unengaging activities.
Additionally, Mr. Thanakorn expressed environmental concerns about wastewater from the project being discharged into Nong Daed, a crucial raw water source for four villages and a college's water supply. He urged Udon Thani authorities to promptly involve the private sector and local community in managing the event seriously to restore the event's image and resolve existing problems quickly.
Mr. Anan Amarin, MP for Udon Thani District 1 from the People's Party, emphasized that as a native of Udon Thani, he does not oppose tourism promotion but wants the 2.7 billion baht budget used efficiently so locals fully benefit and tourists are impressed enough to return. He noted that only about 4,000 tourists visited during the first week—far below the government's target of 60,000 daily, representing just about 10% of the expected attendance.
Mr. Anan added that with roughly 120 days remaining before the event closes, he proposes the government and organizers urgently establish "three special teams" to rescue the crisis and improve event management:
Team 1: Corruption investigation and transparency team: to quickly probe suspected corruption in procurement, kickbacks, and budget misuse claims, disclose budget usage transparently for public scrutiny, and hold forums to gather opinions on post-event site management before the event ends on 14 Mar 2027.
Team 2: Event improvement team: focusing on enhancing knowledge of agricultural wisdom and modern farming, providing tour guides, extending opening hours into evenings with light and sound shows to avoid the heat and coincide with key festivals, and upgrading facilities including transportation, traffic, food and water services, and lighting systems to meet international standards.
Team 3: Udon Thani economic linkage team: to leverage local potential by organizing activities linked to major festivals and creating tourism packages connecting key spots in Udon Thani city and nearby provinces to encourage tourists to stay longer and spend more time in the area.
Mr. Anan concluded by expressing concern and distrust over transferring management of the project site to the Udon Thani Provincial Administrative Organization after the event, citing lingering doubts about past procurement transparency issues linked to this. He therefore calls for delaying this transfer until thorough transparency checks and public feedback in the area are completed.