Tourism and Sports Minister Chumpol Silpa-archa will propose the construction of a Formula One race-track on land close to the site used for the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2011 in Chiang Mai.
Mr Chumpol on Thursday said his ministry would conduct a feasibility study on building an F1 circuit near the Royal Park Ratchapruek in tambon Mae Hia of Muang district, which is used to host the annual international horticulture exhibition, in the hope of bringing one of the world’s most popular and lucrative sporting events to Thailand.
Chiang Mai had been selected for the project because the ministry aimed to make optimum use of the property surrounding the flora expo site, which generated revenue for the Highland Research and Development Institute (Public Organisation) - a state enterprise that supports research and development of royal projects in highland areas in the North.
The selected site had good road conditions and was located far from residential areas, he said.
“Chiang Mai has vast areas to build grandstands [for the F1 track] and a rich natural environment. It has a good selling point,” the minister said.