The Royal Flora Ratchaphruek was an international

horticultural exposition A garden festival is a festival and exposition held to celebrate the arts of gardening, garden design, landscaping and landscape architecture. There are local garden festivals, regional garden festivals, national garden festivals and internat ...

held 1 November 2006 to 31 January 2007 in the

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

city

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai (, from th, เชียงใหม่ , nod, , เจียงใหม่ ), sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the second largest city in ...

Chiang Mai Province Chiang Mai ( th, เชียงใหม่, ; nod, , ) is the largest Province (''changwat'') of Thailand. It lies in upper northern Thailand and has a population of 1.78 million people. It is bordered by Chiang Rai to the northeast, Lam ...

that drew 3,781,624 visitors. Recognised by the

Bureau International des Expositions The Bureau international des expositions (BIE; English: International Bureau of Expositions) is an intergovernmental organization created to supervise international exhibitions (also known as expos or world expos) falling under the jurisdiction o ...

(BIE), it was one of the grand celebrations hosted by the Royal Thai Government in honor of

King Bhumibol Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; (Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Great ...

, the world's longest reigning monarch.

Preparation

The ''ratchaphruek'' (''

Cassia fistula ''Cassia fistula'', commonly known as golden shower, purging cassia, Indian laburnum, or pudding-pipe tree,U. S. Department of Agriculture, William Saunders; Catalogue of Economic Plants in the Collection of the U. S. Department of Agriculture; ...

''), or

golden shower tree ''Cassia fistula'', commonly known as golden shower, purging cassia, Indian laburnum, or pudding-pipe tree,U. S. Department of Agriculture, William Saunders; Catalogue of Economic Plants in the Collection of the U. S. Department of Agriculture; ...

, is the ''de facto'' national flower of

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. Its yellow blossoms correspond to Monday, the birthday of Bhumibol. It is also named "Khun" or "Rajapruek". The event was located on 80 hectares of land at the Royal Agricultural Research Center in the Mae Hia sub-district, Mueang district,

in northern

. The 92 days of the expo featured 30 international gardens reflecting nations such as Japan, South Korea, Belgium, Netherlands, South Africa, and Canada. More than 2.5 million trees of 2,200 species of tropical plants and flowers were on display in this exhibition. The Association of International Horticultural Producers ( AIPH), gave this expo A1 status, its highest level. Such exhibitions occur only once a year throughout the world. In addition, a host country can only hold one such exhibition once a decade.

The festival

The festival included many highlights to attract tourists: *Gardens for the king There were two features in this zone: one was ''international gardens,'' which were presented by 30 participating nations and covered 21,000 square meters; the other was ''corporate gardens'', which covered 27,475 square meters, and were presented by both Thai state enterprises, and domestic and international major corporations. *Ho Kham Royal Pavilion This building featured Lanna architecture, the architectural style of northern Thailand; inside, visitors saw pictures of King Bhumibol's works and his dedication. *Thai Tropical Garden The enormous 100,000-square-meter garden showcased the diversity of tropical horticulture: fruit varieties, plants, flowers, herbs, and rare plants. *Expo Plaza This was the focus of the exposition's fun-filled activities, amenities, and services. Visitors were able to purchase products from royal projects and authentic local products from

such as handicrafts, paper umbrellas, and souvenirs. *Cultural shows A total of 45 cultural shows from various regions of

were performed, including traditional music and dance. In addition, cultural performances from other nations were presented. The Thai government had expected an average of 20,000 visitors per day, with over 100,000 visitors on a crowded day, and 3 million visitors in total to attend the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2006. At the exposition's conclusion, organizers claimed that the exposition had injected 27 billion baht into the regional economy. The Thai government has proposed transforming the site of the exposition into a permanent training center. Despite some complaints of corruption and substandard facilities, organizers believed the exposition achieved its goals of promoting tourism and developing Thai horticultural industries. The park was open to the public in 2008 with many of the past highlights still very much in evidence, including the international exhibits. It is thought that it will remain to stay open as a valued addition to things to do in Chiang Mai. The park receives around 500 visitors a day at the moment, mainly Thai.

Gallery

Image:Ratchaphruek.JPG, Entrance at Ratchaphruek Image:Ratchaphruek wat.JPG, Royal Pavilion Image:Royal Flora Expo 02.jpg, Main Street Image:Royal Flora Expo 08.jpg, Behind gardens Image:Flora-expoo-lightandsound02.jpg, Light and Sound Royal Show Image:Acceso al pabellon-jardin de España en Royal Flora Ratchaphruek.jpg, Spain pavilions Image:Flora-expo-holland-garden01.jpg, Holland garden

References

External links

Official website of the BIE
{{List of world's fairs of Southeast Asia 2006 festivals 2007 festivals International horticultural exhibitions World's fairs in Asia World's fairs in Thailand 2006 in Thailand 2007 in Thailand Festivals in Thailand Flower festivals in Thailand Garden festivals in Thailand Chiang Mai province