A total of five cultural sites across Thailand have been included on the tentative list for potential new UNESCO World Heritage Sites, according to a government announcement made on Sunday.
The latest addition is the historic cluster of towns and adjacent sites linked to Songkhla Lake in the southern province of Songkhla. Approval for these town clusters was granted during the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee in New Delhi, coinciding with UNESCO’s inscription of Phu Phra Bat Historical Park in northeastern Udon Thani as a newly recognized World Heritage Site.
The tentative list serves as a catalog of properties that a country intends to nominate for UNESCO’s World Heritage List. However, being included on this list does not ensure eventual selection for world heritage status.
The four other sites currently on Thailand’s tentative list include Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan in Nakhon Si Thammarat (listed on Aug 28, 2012), the historical and cultural sites of Chiang Mai (Feb 9, 2015), Wat Phra Tat Phanom in Nakhon Phanom (Feb 2, 2017), and the cultural route connected to Phimai and the associated temples of Phanom Rung and Muang Tam (Apr 11, 2019).
In a related development, the government has announced that admission fees to Phu Phra Bat Historical Park will be waived from today until August 12, in celebration of the park’s new status as Thailand’s fifth UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Prime Minister has welcomed the public to join in the celebration, highlighting this achievement as part of the government’s ongoing efforts to bolster the country’s cultural appeal alongside conservation and development initiatives.
