Thailand to host International Horticultural Expo 2026 in Udon Thani

The Association News, 10 March 2022

Thailand is chosen to host the International Horticultural Expo 2026 in Udon Thani, a northeastern province. It will be the first landmark global event in the Greater Mekong Subregion. The mega-event will be featuring the theme “Diversity of Life: Connecting Water, Plants, and People for Sustainable Living” driven by the ‘3S’ food and farming policy and BCG economic model of the government and SDGs of the United Nations. 

At the annual general meeting 2022 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) agreed to the Thai proposal in which International Horticultural Expo 2026 will be hosted in Udon Thani province during 1 November 2026 to 14 March 2027. The proposed theme is “Diversity of Life: Connecting Water, Plants, and People for Sustainable Living”, citing the site’s unique wetland area and the special connection between water, natural resources, and the people living in it. 

Presenting the proposal at the handover ceremony of the event to a new host destination was H.E. Dr. Chalermchai Sree-on, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, who was head of the Thai delegation. He expressed appreciation on behalf of the Thai government to the AIPH members for the trust and support given to Thailand and cited the success as a fruitful collaboration among various government agencies and private organisations, led by Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (Public Organization) or TCEB and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, 

According to Dr. Chalermchai, Thailand is committed to contributing to the global food security through the ‘3S’ farming and food policy, focusing on Food Safety, Food Security, and Sustainability. This aims to fulfill the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals while adhering to the climate aspiration of the Paris Agreement. Such commitment can serve the theme and presentation of the Expo in Udon Thani and will help shed light on the sustainability issue, inspire and ignite collaboration on global actionable measures towards sustainability living with minimal cost to the ecosystem’. 

Also attending the meeting was Mr. Sayam Sirimongkol, Udon Thani’s Governor, who reaffirmed the city’s readiness to ensure the success of the Expo. The Udon Thani Expo 2026 will be the first International Horticultural Expo ever held in a wetland area. Furthermore, the province’s status as the gateway to the Greater Mekong Subregion and a transportation and economic hub of the area will guarantee a diverse display of cultures and floras befitting the theme. 

Mr. Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, President of Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), who represented Thailand in the official bid for the Expo, expressed Thailand’s confidence in hosting the landmark global event, portraying the success of the past two horticultural expos hosted by Thailand in Chiang Mai province.

He also emphasized the government’s development strategy and national agenda to promote the Bio-Circular-Green Economy Model or BCG as a new development model that seeks to drive socio-economic growth while minimizing and even reversing the negative impacts on the environment. The strategy will be of great contribution to Udon Thani International Horticultural Expo 2026. 

The Udon Thani Expo 2026 is expected to cost 2,500 million baht in investment and attract 3.6 million visitors over 134 days during the expo. 

Mr. Tim Briercliffe, Secretary General of AIPH, remarked on behalf of the AIPH that AIPH hopes to see positive contributions of the Expo to the attainment of the global agendas as well as the development of the local community and the Greater Mekong Subregion as a whole.

 Udon Thani (MICE City), a province of 1.5 million populations, is located in the northeastern region of Thailand, 580 kilometers away by road from Bangkok. The city can be reached daily by one-hour flight from Bangkok.

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