PHOTO – Local officials watching the live voting yesterday – Phuket Hotnews
Thailand has failed in its bid to become the first country in Southeast Asia to host a world Specialised Expo, with Phuket losing out to Serbia. Member states of the Bureau International des Expositions chose Belgrade to host the Specialised Expo in 2027. The Serbian capital was chosen after four rounds of secret electronic voting.
In addition to Phuket and Belgrade, another 3 locations were also in the running: Minnesota in the US, Bariloche in Argentina, and Malaga in Spain. None of the 5 locations received the required two-thirds majority to win in the first 3 rounds of voting. Eventually, it came down to Serbia and Spain in the final round, with Serbia garnering the most votes.
Compared to the other international bidders, Phuket was always going to struggle when it came to transport infrastructure, conference facilities, traffic congestion and the remote site it had chosen for the event.
Belgrade will now host the Specialised Expo from May 15 to August 15, 2027, under the theme “Play for Humanity: Sport and Music for All”. The winning location was confirmed by Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, Secretary General of the BIE.
“On behalf of the BIE, I offer my warm congratulations to Serbia on its election as host country of the next Specialised Expo, which will be organised in Belgrade in 2027. The theme, “Play for Humanity – Sport and Music for All”, has clearly resonated with BIE member states. We look forward to working closely with Serbia in the coming 4 years to bring the world together in Belgrade around this topic of great interest.”
Designed to respond to a specific challenge facing humanity, Specialised Expos often take place in the period between two World Expos. They are limited in both duration and space, lasting up to 3 months, in an exhibition area that doesn’t exceed 25 hectares.
