PUBLISHED: 17 Apr 2024 at 06 :17
Chiang Mai Zoo has reopened its pond after a 29-million-baht construction. The country’s second ocean, located on a rock, is expected to attract more visitors than ever.
Zoo director, Wuthichai Muangman, said the director-general of the Zoological Park Organization of Thailand ( ZPO ) Attapon Srihayrun allocated a 2023 budget of over 29 million baht to the zoo to renovate its aquarium.
The job is then complete, and the ocean reopened on April 1, said Mr Wuthichai.
According to Mr. Attapon, the modern ocean embodies the idea of saving the planet and environmental protection. After the reopening, he anticipated a 10 % increase in ocean revenue from registration fees. The service was closed last year for the reconstruction.
Because it was the first location in the nation to give the water to a hill, and it adheres to international standards, it will become a well-known tourist attraction. The ocean is also a great learning environment for both children and students, according to Mr. Attapon. He added that the registration costs are affordable in comparison to those at different aquariums, which typically charge each guest at least 1,000 baht.
Admission fees at the Chiang Mai Zoo Aquarium are 300 ringgit for Thai people, 175 ringgit for Thai kids, 640 baht for an adult stranger and 375 ringgit for a foreign child.
Mr. Attapon claimed that the ZPO would give the ocean an extra one-million-baht funds to buy more marine species.
The ocean serves as both a tourist destination and learning facility as well, according to Mr. Attapon, as well as a research and conservation facility.
According to Narutat Chareonsedtasin, CEO of Marine Scape ( Thailand ), the company that manages Chiang Mai Zoo Aquarium, the aquarium is home to the world’s longest underwater tunnel, which is 133 metres long, and features the most river fish species in Thailand, with over 80 species from the Mekong River Basin and Chao Phraya Basin exhibited there.
As part of the construction, the aquarium’s air conditioning, roads, air and the sea animals ‘ well-being were improved, he said.