Shoppers attending a humble furniture fair made a hasty exit when they accidentally stumbled into an adjacent luxury goods festival - the most opulent of its kind held in the country.
While the first day of the Luxury Festival at Impact Muang Thong Thani stadium drew its fair share of interested customers yesterday, some who had turned up for a nearby furniture fair and strayed into the "rich man's zone" looked stunned.
They left just as quickly as they arrived.
Organisers say that's a shame, because the festival is drawing its fair share of onlookers, not merely those with wallets fat enough to buy the high-end goods on display.
The festival has taken over Hall 8 at the stadium where luxury goods as diverse as brand watches, high-end mobile phones, yachts, helicopters, and personal jets are on sale, for rent, or display.
The festival, being held for the first time in Thailand, drew more than 6,000 visitors yesterday, said Wachira Jitsakdanon, managing director of Home Show Co, a co-organiser of the event.
One booth that offers personal plane services for businessmen travelling domestically and internationally drew many enthusiasts.
"Even state officials and politicians visit us to ask for details," said Sathien Kerd-arunsri, managing director of Innovative Pro Co, which runs the booth. An eight-seater domestic jet can be hired for 750,000 baht to 3 million baht a flight, while the services of a 12 to 15 seater international jet go for 3 million baht to 20 million baht a flight.
HIGH-END ON HIGH SEAS: A yacht named Princess, priced about 64.45 million baht, is one of the highlights of the Luxury Festival.
The company also offers helicopter flights from Don Mueang airport to the ancient city in Samut Prakan and the Gulf of Thailand. A half-hour trip costs 200,000 baht. "We have special promotions at the festival too," Mr Sathien said. "If customers buy 15 hours in the helicopter, we'll give them a discount from 3 million baht to 2.25 million baht," he added.
A booth selling wristwatches was also popular. Shoppers admired a Swiss-made Tag Heuer Monaco V4, worth 3.2 million baht. "Today most people were asking for details and looking around, though a few tried negotiating bargains," Ms Wachira said.
Luxury goods in this extreme price range are rarely displayed in fairs or exhibitions in Thailand. Organisers hope to stimulate consumption among the upper class. The event runs until next Sunday. Ms Wachira expects it will draw up to 100,000 visitors and inject 100 million baht into the local economy.
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