Kingdom’s Retail Queen Lays Out Thai Tourism Truths That Others Only Whisper
Skift Take
It takes a retail personality to air the dirty laundry of Thai tourism. No one will be offended; it’s all an open secret. Supaluck Umpujh, at least, is doing something about it, partnering with AEG to make Thailand a regional entertainment hub.
Thailand’s retail queen Supaluck Umpujh dispensed “talking sweet” and told bold truths about how the destination is selling itself short, and lacking in courage and foresight to build new tourist attractions at a tourism forum Monday.
The chairwoman of The Mall Group, which owns Bangkok luxury malls such as The Emporium, EmQuartier and Siam Paragon, treated the media to a 30-minute diatribe at a press conference held in conjunction with the Thailand Tourism Forum 2019 in Bangkok.
A no-holds barred Umpujh took shots at how Thailand is attracting millions of arrivals (40 million is forecast for 2019) yet she claimed “the revenue is nothing.” She said Thailand’s entertainment is associated with massage parlors and seedy streets rather than world-class facilities; and argued that curfews forcing venues to close at midnight are making other Southeast Asian countries more attractive to Europeans.
Umpujh said this is why she wants to help change Thailand to become the “hub of entertainment” and “playground of Asia.” The group announced a partnership in September with Los Angeles-based AEG, which bills itself the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company.
The tie-up involves building an iconic new retail and entertainment district, EmLive, at the EmSphere, and The Bangkok Arena at the Bangkok Mall, which will enable the city to host large-scale events including concerts, live performances, family shows, sports competitions and conventions.
